Trouble
by tmwillson3
Summary: Modern High School AU. Good girl Marianne has no desire to spend 24 hours with her ex at the senior lock-in. But when she learns that the infamous Bog King plans to crash the party her sister carefully planned, she takes the matters into her own hands by not caring what others think of her and deciding to cause a little trouble of her own. Butterfly Bog and Sunny Day. Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1: Shots Fired

Trouble

 **Author's Disclaimer: No, I don't own Strange Magic, or any of the songs I make reference to in this story. All rights go to their respective owners. This two-shot is inspired by the song "Trouble", the version done by Pink. I** _ **love**_ **that song, and I think it perfect for Marianne as she goes in to confront evil and save the day, as well as show how she changes after the Roland incident. There is also a healthy dose of Idina Menzel songs in here. My original plan was to make this one really long story, but I'm going out of town and wanted to give something to you all to read. This is a modern high school AU, with all the trappings of high school, good and bad. It just fit, so I had to do it and get it out of my head. I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: Shots Fired

"If Bog King's middle name is Misery, then mine is Trouble."

Marianne spoke confidently to herself in the mirror, ready to begin the process of getting ready. Something had changed within her, and something was not the same: her.

 _No more Miss Prim and Perfect Marianne, slightly odd but tolerated because she's the principal's daughter and dating the senior student council president/varsity football captain._

Marianne shook her head repeatedly as she thought about how stupid she had been. Had she really liked Roland and helped him that much? And for what? He was already going to college on a football scholarship. He got by alright, and she, as head of the National Honor Society, helped him make the grade. She regretted that. All of it.

Rip!

There went one long dress. One sign of her acceptance of what was expected of her, by her father and Roland. Modest and proper, even if Roland told her on occasion (often, now that she thought clearly about it) to wear something a little more low cut and show off her "feminine assets".

Pig. That was all he was. A shallow, power-hungry, lying, cheating, chattering pig who only pretended to like her so that he could be the first to have sex with her, and no doubt gain points with her dad as he prepared for college.

It was a good thing she had caught him when she had, necking with that girl in green from the National Honor Society the day of Senior Prom. Otherwise, she may have gone with him and attended that wild party where the house was wrecked, with plenty of alcohol and drugs to go around. She heard the whispers about it afterward from people sneering behind her back.

Try to drug her and get her alone, would he?

"I think not!"

With another angry stab, three more dresses had been cut, jagged edges all around. The skirts received equal treatment as well. It was time to test the limits and break through, away from this image she had created, concealing her feelings so that she was accepted. Now, she did not care about acceptance, and it felt good, so freeing.

What else could she do? Her shirts.

Gone were the light pastels so favored on her, and instead she found all her dark clothing, especially purple. Purple was her favorite color, and she would wear it as much as she liked. She would donate the rest to charity, all those "gifts" that Roland had given her.

Roland wanted to see her look more modern? Well, she could do that without him. If he did not like it, then he could get his attorney to plead his case because she was free of him, and she was never going back!

"Appropriate outfit, complete with things people would be shocked to see me wear? Check. What else am I missing?" she asked, tapping her face. "Of course. As Dawn would say, I need to accessorize!"

Marianne went to her jewelry box. She had liked flowers in her hair, or some nice pearl earrings. Not now.

Tonight, she found her studded bracelets (they had been free with another purchase, not originally intended, but liked) and began wrapping her wrists repeatedly. At least now she was ready to punch the lights out of that rat who calls himself Roland.

Marianne had no doubt that Roland had plans to make up to her tonight, as he had been trying for weeks to do now. He had sung "C'mon Marianne" already, so she had no idea what other cheesy things he would sing to her, or try to do tonight. As long as he did not try spiking her drink. If any sort of drug or opiate was given to her to send her out of her head, then she would make sure he rued the day that he did so. He would not be able to play football when she finished with him, or at least he would never have children.

At some point that night, Roland would be castrated, defenestrated, or decapitated, and she was amenable to any and all options opened to her during those twenty-four hours she spent locked up with him and the rest of the senior class.

But back to accessories. If she was going to see Dawn and save the day, then she was going to do so in style for the full look. In addition to the bracelets, several golden rings with purple jewels were added, and Marianne twirled her fingers to enjoy the effect. Then hitting people's faces would feel good.

The only thing needed was some purple nail polish before she really shined there. It would not hinder her punch now (her nails were normally short), but it would give her more confidence, which she needed right now for what she was about to do.

Bang! Bang!

Marianne's heels, uncomfortable and impractical things that they were, flew against the back side of her closet, never to be brought out again unless it was a true emergency. She was through with playing by the rules of someone else's game, and she would wear the comfortable tennis shoes she loved.

Next was makeup. She did not wear much besides a little blush and lipstick, but tonight she added eyeshadow, as dark a purple as she owned. Her eyes were wild, and she wanted all to see that she had changed.

As the brunette stared into the mirror, she could not help but think that something was missing. She turned her head about until at last she came upon it: her hair. That long braid that she had been growing for years sat heavily on her back, reminding her of how much her father and Roland liked it. No more.

Marianne took some scissors and pulled a Rapunzel, cutting off her braid. It was amazing how light her head felt! She shook her head back and forth, letting the remaining hair fly out in all its spiky directions. She brushed and styled the hair, and once she was satisfied with that, she declared herself ready to face the judgmental world of high school.

No one was in the house now. Her father and Dawn were already at the senior lock-in, and Marianne could not wait to see their faces. Her dad would have a heart attack and swoon, and Dawn would be a little surprised at first, and then love the look.

 _And that's the only time Dawn's going to be surprised tonight. No one else is going to interrupt this special night that she planned so much for, not Roland, or Bog King and his merry little band of goblin nerds._

Marianne remembered the half-whispered (by Stuff), half-shouted (by Thang) conversation she had heard earlier that day. It was at the beginning of the last class of the day, A.P. Calculus, and the two sat behind her in a corner. She heard every word of their conversation.

~-Flashback-~

"Have you got all the supplies in your locker?" whispered Stuff.

"Sure do!" replied Thang in his normal voice.

"Keep it down, Thang. We don't want anyone to know what we're planning for tonight."

"Come on, Stuff, it's no big deal. Heck, we don't even know all the plans for the lock-in tonight. The only one who does know the plan is Bog because he's the one who made them. We're just helping to gather supplies before setting up all the pranks. It'll be a night no one forgets."

"We're going to finally show those jerks, especially those jocks, who's in charge around here, and it's going to be great," said Stuff smugly, punching a fist into her other hand.

"Yeah, especially since you know who won't go to avoid His Royal Prettiness," added Thang laughing.

"She wouldn't do anything anyway, seeing as she plays by the rules, Miss Prim and Perfect over there," said Stuff in a whisper.

The teacher called class to start, or else Marianne would have listened to more. For the rest of the class, she fumed. It was fine to take revenge on the jocks. It was one thing to insult her, as she did not care, but it was another thing entirely to plan to ruin her sister's plans for the lock-in, Dawn being head planner as student council president. That was when Marianne decided that she was attending that lock-in, come Roland or the zombie apocalypse. She was _not_ going to let them get away with that. Nobody messed with her sister!

~-End of Flashback-~

Marianne could feel tears pricking her eyes as she remembered that conversation, despite her protests to not caring. Those two really had no filter or did not care, seeing as she was only a couple seats in front of them. It had hurt momentarily, but it made her wake up and see what she had become: a quieter, teary-eyed, surly (at least with regard to Roland and the black eye she had given him the first time she had seen him) girl who just let anyone do as they pleased because that was what was expected of her, to just listen. She liked to think that she was blazing a trail with her ideas and becoming a teacher, but truly, all she had done was listen to what people expected her to do, especially her father, the former teacher. She talked about her ideas, but nothing had ever been done.

Until now. She was a woman of action, and she would prove that tonight. She would show them and everyone else just what she was made of. She may not like to cause trouble, but if done for a good reason, then she had all the reason she needed. Bog King was nothing but trouble, and she intended to put him in his place.

One last check was made in her car's reflection before Marianne took in a big breath and let it out. She looked different. That was good. None of their opinions mattered, as they did nothing to help her get out of that relationship with Roland, or else they thought her weak. She could do this. It was too late for second-guessing or to go back home and sleep; it was time to trust her instincts and take the leap.

"I'm trouble. I disturb my class because I am a strong, independent woman, and I don't need a guy to tell me what to do. Love has made me weak. Let's show those jerks the real Marianne, the one not afraid to cause a little trouble."

As Marianne marched toward the door, adrenaline pumped through her veins. Energy she had thought gone after years of self-defense and karate lessons (stopped soon after dating Roland) now came back to her with clarity.

The fear of Roland being there was gone. The fear that she would not be able to stop the pranks dissipated. The fear of disapproval fled. Marianne felt so free in that moment, lifted high by her emotions, that she felt as though she could fly! And fly she did through that door, to crash the delicate plans Bog had made.

Before she slammed the door open, Marianne was the topic of conversation for two different reasons.

In the men's bathroom, Roland bragged to his three cronies about his plans for the night.

"Everything is ready. Marianne will ignore me for most of the night, but eventually I'll cut in. When I give you the first signal, spring the trap with her sister. I'm going to get into Marianne's good graces tonight, and she will love me. To seal the deal, have that little vial ready when I give the second signal. Then she'll agree to come home with me. Got it?"

The triplets nodded, slapped hands, and then swaggered out the door behind Roland. In a stall on the opposite of the room, Bog finally got off of his makeshift perch on a toilet so that he could listen to the conniving four. The information made him curious and hate Roland even more than he already did.

It was a well-known fact that Bog King was not someone to cross. He had enough knowledge of computers and machinery to make himself dangerous, having helped the school custodians fix things for years. He had a mischievous streak that only reared its ugly head when someone made fun of him or his (granted limited) friends, and he knew that Roland had always called him King of the Dorks or Nerds, depending on the day.

Then there was all the bullying that Thang dealt with, Stuff always coming through with her right hook, causing her to be suspended on multiple occasions. Were it not for the fact that she was bored in class, no doubt she would have fallen behind. They all liked staying indoors as much as he did, content with the glow of the computer rather than people, giving them and a few others in the science club the nickname of goblins for their ways.

All of that combined to give Bog plenty of reasons to start planning months in advance for what he would do to his fellow classmates so that they knew who would have the last laugh. It was not hard to get onto the school network and find the plans made for the lock-in, and he had been staying extra late at night to leave certain items around for the big night. Once the stuff started getting set-up the night before, he snuck in and made modifications.

But that was not on his mind right now. Marianne was, and he was curious if she would come, and how she would deal with Roland's antics. He walked back to his friends, lost in thought.

"What's on your mind, monkey-butt?" said Stuff jokingly. She had a love for name-calling, which usually got her in trouble, and Bog dealt much better with her names now.

"Barbie Boy was in the bathroom. I listened to him and his goons talk about what they planned to do to Marianne Fairfield tonight."

"Told you he was thinking about her!" said Stuff to Thang with pride.

"What's this about Marianne? How'd you know?" said Bog with disbelief.

Thang pointed at Bog's face before saying, "Your smile."

Stuff added, "You're so easily distracted when you talk about her for reasons I don't understand. It's not like she's anything all that great."

Bristling, Bog said, "Well, she's dealing with a lot of crap right now because of His High and Mightiness and-"

"You acted like this before all that," replied Stuff.

"She's such a good girl, and to hang around with that piece of trash…. It always made me wonder what went on in her head."

It was a true statement. Ever since he had transferred in two years ago, she had been Miss Nice Girl, and yet dated Roland. It made no sense to him. She deserved better. He never really spoke to her, as their circles only met in certain honors classes, and she stayed with her lady friends.

But ever since the break-up, she had been alone, other than the time she walked with her sister and Sunny. Bog found out that Roland had cheated on her, and he felt for Marianne, as a fellow someone who had been hurt by love. But that was it. He certainly did not smile or think about her as much as his friends implied.

He started to defend himself when the doors banged open, and in marched Marianne.

But she was not the same Marianne as earlier that day. No, she was wearing purple and a short skirt, dressed and acting in a way quite different for her. She looked angry. She looked good angry.

Marianne pushed the doors open in front of her, and for a moment, her arms remained there. Then, they swung back, held out at a sixty degree angle from her before she let out a scream, a battle cry in Bog's mind. Her arms flew forward again as the song on the radio changed to "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, and Marianne flew into the hall outside the auditorium and stood in front of Bog, a dark look on her face.

All it took was one well-placed punch to the jaw for Bog to know that someone had told her what he planned to do.

"Stay away from my sister, you scaly-backed cockroach!"

Bog expected that kind of name to be uttered by Stuff, not Marianne. Nor did he realize that she could pack a punch. She may have just declared war on him, but if she was this exciting all night, at least he was going to enjoy it.

"Who said I planned to harm your sister?" he said, teeth grinding as he struggled not to hit her. His body said fight, but his mind said not yet. He waved away Stuff and Thang, both ready to hold her down at his signal.

"If not her, then all the plans she has made for this night. You are _not_ going to ruin this for her. I will fight you if I have to-"

Marianne threw out another punch, and Bog was ready this time. He held her fist in his much bigger hand, and gave her a smug grin.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that later, Miss Prim and Perfect. There's even a ring ready for us in the all purpose room. Meet me there at nine and don't be late. Just be careful about breaking a nail."

Bog continued to smile and put out his other hand when Marianne tried to punch him with her left hand.

"I'll have your head on a stick!" she spit out.

"Just keep talking like that, and you'll be kicked out, Miss Perfect."

"As long as you're with me, Bog."

"Keep telling yourself that, Marianne, if it helps you feel better."

Bog shoved Marianne away onto the ground and strolled off, a spring in his step. His night had just become ten times better, as he would have some competition to get everything done. He liked a challenge, and she was a new and unexpected one. Different, and he liked her idea of different.

Stuff and Thang followed in their leader's wake, heading to a supply closet on the other side of the auditorium. Once both were standing in front of the door, Bog pushed them both against the door and started screaming.

"Which one of you smart ones leaked out our plan? To her, no less. Who?"

Both gave equally shocked looks and shook their heads. Then something dawned in both faces.

"You tell him, Thang. He likes you more."

"I'm waiting," said Bog with impatience.

Thang squeaked out, "You see, we didn't even mention it until the last class of today, as we were so excited to be helping you. The people in front of us were all talking, so we figured no one would listen to us, as usual. But Marianne sits in front of us a couple rows, and I guess she heard us. We didn't mention anything specific, promise! Just that we planned to cause some trouble tonight and get people back."

"We certainly said nothing to make her go and change her entire appearance like that," added Stuff.

"I don't know what you two said exactly, but you've made this night harder. We should be able to distract her, and if not, then I'll use her to get where I need to. Go get the feathers. We have a vice principal to surprise."

At that, Bog went further down the wall to where the electrical switchboard was located, and conveniently locked. Once he opened it, he turned a switch on a small, black box and closed the door. The other two had the bags of hot honey and feathers.

On the other side of the room, the vice principal opened the doors and asked all the students to assemble. Marianne made a beeline for the center seat, but she saw that it was taken by Brutus. Not encouraging. Her spidey-senses about something going wrong tingled more when Bog sat next to Brutus, his two other friends on opposite ends of the front row. Marianne decided to sit close to Thang, to try to scare him.

For a while, the vice principal talked, describing the various activities planned for the night. After having a Fairy Land theme for prom, the lock-in's theme was The Dark Forest, with lots of cheesy names for activities.

For the first half of the night, there would be a track with go-carts to ride (called Dragonfly Drives), a ring with punching bags and boxing gloves (AKA, Rumbling Roaches), music and dancing (declared The Ugly Bug Ball), and the school pool was open (aptly called The Pond). Then, everyone would gather to have the senior talent show.

For the second half of the lock-in, more events were available: massage chairs to relax (christened Mossy Massages), a Vegas room (complete with a name like Viva Las Vegetations), sports to play in one half of the gym (Fungi Fun Times, wherever that came from), and more music and dancing in the other side of the gym. When those events ended, class elections and baby pictures would be shared, and then the lock-in would end.

Of course, there was food being supplied at the Centipede Café throughout the night, for whatever cravings the students had. The junior year student council members and National Honor Society were taking shifts serving food.

As the vice principal finished up his speech, Marianne saw Thang's shoulder twitch. She started to get up, but she was too late.

The vice principal said, "All the doors are locked. Let the night begin!"

And night did begin, by having all the lights go off in the auditorium. Then, Marianne heard a screech from the man on stage. The lights turned back on, and all the students laughed at the yellow chicken now standing in front of them. The chicken made high-pitched noises before running off the stage.

Marianne looked at Bog, and sure enough, he was laughing deeply, twirling a rope around his arm. As much as Marianne wanted to be mad at Bog for doing that, she understood why Bog had done that.

It was a well-known fact that the vice principal loved football, coaching for middle school students. In their private school, Henson High, he always sided with Roland and the rest of the football players, a few times unfairly. Marianne had seen some of the arguments, and she had felt bad at the time, but Roland had always convinced her that as rough and nasty as they were, they deserved it. She had gone along with it then, and now she was ashamed of herself for compromising like that. But Bog had taken care of him good now.

Marianne turned back to see that Thang had fled the scene, now far away from her and close to Stuff. Bog was also gone, but Roland decided to appear just then.

"Is that my Marianne, my buttercup? My, sweet babies, what happened to you?"

Roland had not gotten a good look at Marianne until after asking the first question. Then he was shocked.

Marianne waltzed up to Roland, feigning a grin.

"Do you like it, Roland? I recall you saying at one point that I ought to show off my feminine assets. Is that good enough for you?"

Marianne wiggled her hips as she teased him. Roland gaped.

"Sure, buttercup, whatever you're comfortable with-"

"Well, too bad! It's not for you!" cried Marianne, pulling back an arm and punching Roland, making him fall back and hit his head on one of the metal seats.

"You think you're right about us being together, but you were wrong! You tried to take me for a ride and trick me, but I'm not a fool. I'll never trust you again. You better run and hide, Roland, because if I see your sorry face again tonight, I'm going to give you matching black eyes."

With a dazzling smile, Marianne walked out the other way of the auditorium toward the gym. She felt so much better now!

From the back of the room, Bog and his three closest friends snickered at Roland as he fell back, hit his head, and moaned like a baby at Marianne's words.

"Looks like Miss Prim and Perfect is done playing by the rules," said Stuff at last.

"Sure does," said Bog, "so you know what that means: Let me handle her."

"Gee Bog, what do you want to do tonight?" asked Thang, concern in his voice.

"The same thing we do every night as we have for the last few weeks, Thang. Try to take over the school and cause chaos."

"But what about Marianne?"

"What about her, Stuff? She is a minor hindrance. In fact, we'll be able to use her to our advantage."

"How?"

"Leave that to me," said Bog with a smug grin as he looked at Roland. "I'll talk to her. Actually, we might even get lucky. She may want to join us in taking down the same people who hurt her. But for now, you have your orders. Release the chaos!"

The group scattered, leaving Bog alone in the room. He rubbed his hands together and headed in the direction of the cafeteria, listening for the screams as actual bugs appeared in the hallway.

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 **Author's Notes: I'm sorry to stop right there, but it seemed most appropriate. I hope you enjoyed Marianne's transformation. It did not have the song, but I hope what I used instead works. As I said above, this is something that has invaded my brain and refuses to go away until I write it. I** _ **promise**_ **the rest will come out next week after I come home. I know I'm supposed to be working on The Accompanist, so forgive me while my plot bunnies tell me to do this. As for the song references, I tried not to make them too obvious or out of place, but it happens. There were also a couple other ones, including one from Labyrinth, Shrek, and Pinky and the Brain. There's lots more shenanigans to follow, as Marianne is empowered and determined to make a difference, while Bog convinces her to do otherwise. Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Shenanigans and Trouble

Trouble

 **Author's Disclaimer: No, I don't own Strange Magic, or any of the songs I make reference to in this story. All rights go to their respective owners. This two-shot is inspired by the song "Trouble", the version done by Pink; Pink's "Try" also plays heavily in this part. There is also a wide variety of other songs, as well as references to other Henson creations as the night activities unfold. I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 2: Shenanigans and Trouble of All Forms

"Excuse me, dearie! What's the hurry? You're going to be here for a whole day."

Marianne paused in her marching toward the gym to look at the lady with short, frizzy, red hair, who also was wearing a flower chain in her hair. She was so short, and yet her loud voice more than made up for the lack of height. The big smile on her face made it clear to Marianne that the mother meant no harm.

"I need to go to the pool. I want to get there before everyone else does."

It was a true statement, even if her true reason to go was something else entirely. But she did not want to worry anyone unnecessarily, especially the adults. She would take care of it on her own. She was alone and free, so she was going to do it her way.

"No point now, dear, oh Marianne," said the mother looking at Marianne's name tag, "that's such a pretty name. I'm Griselda King, by the way, but you can call me Griselda. You might know my son, Bog."

Marianne cleared her throat out of uncertainty about what to say about him, seeing as he was the cause of all her recent problems.

"Yes, but he and I don't talk much. I'm not overly fond of him."

"Sure, he's a little rough at first, but inside, he's the sweetest guy you ever met, and so loyal! You just can't find that anymore. I can say that because I know he's just like his father, and his father, God rest his soul, was the most loyal guy you could find."

"That's very nice and all, but why should I not hurry to the pool?" asked Marianne with impatience.

"Because there's already been a stream of people who passed this way. Get it? Stream? Pool?"

Marianne then understood where Bog got his sense of humor and love of the ridiculous from. She had already seen large insects crawling about the hallway, and she had no doubt that Bog was behind it.

"Thank you for letting me know, Griselda. But anyways, I still want to get in there and-"

"Who are you meeting there?" asked Griselda suddenly.

"Me? No one. Just going by myself."

"Why not?"

"It's better that way, honestly. I'm not on the best of terms right now with many people."

"Well, I hope you can reconcile soon. It's awful being on your own like that. It gets kinda lonely, and this is me talking from experience, dearie. You think it's fun now, but it's not. Now look at me droning on and keeping you from having fun. See you around!"

Griselda wandered off (her mind busy and happily engaged), leaving Marianne to stare at her. The brunette shook her head at the idea of being alone. She already knew what it was like being alone, and she would much rather have that over the silliness of being in love.

 _Love is not safe._

Even as Marianne repeated the mantra while walking toward the pool, her mind was already beginning to doubt. She had known loneliness since breaking away from Roland, but it was better to remove such people from her life, anyway. She needed to find true friends, but not a boyfriend. She could have moved on easily, as her heart was not bothered by Roland anymore, but she simply did not want it.

Sure, she still wondered about what Roland was doing and when things had changed, how it had all turned to lies between them, but the truth was that she did not want to ask why, for fear of being hurt more than she already had been. He did not matter, nor did any kind of relationship like that.

Even with those thoughts, though, some part of her looked at the couple who were hidden away in a corner with longing, seeing the guy with blond, spiky (yet fluffy) hair and tight pants happily kiss his brunette girlfriend. She had no doubt that those two would share a magic dance on the dance floor before the night was over, and part of her wished that she had that security, that companionship….

No. Love was painful. It made her do stupid things. It was funny how her heart could deceive her more than just a couple times about Roland, but now she knew. Never would she fall in love again.

Marianne walked into the pool area and gaped. No one was in the water, as it had been dyed purple and had lily pads inside of it, just like a real pond. Instead, people just sat around and talked. Then, one of the triplet guys that hung around with Roland swaggered up to Marianne.

"It looks like The Princess has finally flipped her lid and did something besides hit her ex, even if he loves you and just wants to get back with you."

"Go jump in the pool, Pretty Boy."

"You first. You ought to try out your creation."

"I did not-"

"Don't try to deny it, Marianne. You knew all the plans from the start since your sister planned all this. I bet you did this on purpose. We all know it was you. The similarity in color is enough to seal your fate. Will your father and Roland approve? You should go to them now and tell them. I'm sure Roland will still take you back."

Marianne could feel everyone's eyes on her, and they were all laughing at her. She truly was in a kingdom of isolation now. She had considered some of them her friends at one point of time, but now she could see that they only liked her because of Roland the Neanderthal. It stung, but it was a lesson she needed to learn. Still, if she had Dawn there, or maybe Sunny, then she could smile and laugh at them….

No. That was not productive. Dawn had her own life to live and would not want to be weighed down by her problems and views of people, especially men. She was alone, and she would stay like that.

"I'm never going back to Roland. That I can promise you. As for the pool, it wasn't me. I'd never wreck all of Dawn's plans like that. You could always just lift a finger and actually take out all of the lily pads and swim in the pool water that has had purple food dye added. Anyone with eyes can see that."

Marianne then shoved the triplet into the pool amidst loud peals of laughter. Then she stomped out of the pool area. Fine, if they were going to laugh at her, then she would not help them. She would just take out her anger on the cause of all this.

Who happened to run into her just then, as he had been staring at the ground while speed-walking. And who then proceeded to gulp upon impact before looking up to see who it was. At first, Marianne would swear that Bog had blushed, but it had to be a trick of the light. He was giving her a menacing look now, and she intended to stare back at him until he understood that she was not about to back down.

Bog did want to keep up the frightening look, but it was hard to do so after talking to Dawn and his mother. He had gone to the cafeteria to see how the gummy worms and other unexpected food items had been received. Most people looked horrified, but Dawn was still smiling, just standing behind the table, ready to give out food to all the seniors.

Bog went over to the edge of the table to find some oreos, as he had instructed Brutus to cover the cookies with a slimy green goo that his mother used to fill her pastries with. The goo was sugary goodness, and actually made the oreos taste even better, so he got all the oreos to himself.

"Marianne likes oreos, too. You lick the insides off just like she does. That's so weird!"

Bog turned an annoyed face upon Dawn, who had somehow managed to sneak up behind him while he enjoyed his oreos. _Why_ was she talking to him?

"Don't you have other seniors you have to serve right now?"

"I could be, but I've already done so much. Sunny also wants me to have a break, so I am. Now I'm talking to you. How does the green stuff taste? I've never seen it before."

"Terrible," he replied on instinct.

Dawn tittered before grabbing an oreo and saying, "Marianne also says that when she wants it all to herself. Now I'm going to try one. Mmm, this is amazing!"

Bog cursed inwardly because now she knew his secret. It was time to get away before he said anything he would regret.

"That's great, Dawn, but you should go away now."

"Why? What if I want to talk to you?"

"Dawn, go away; I'm no good for you and your reputation. Being seen talking to me is bad. I'm the big, bad, Bog King. You should go back where you belong."

"Don't you like talking to me, Bog?" asked Dawn, her eyes starting to look glassy.

Bog started to panic. He did not like weepy girls, and had no idea how to handle tears. He had to do something fast!

"No, of course I like talking to you, Dawn, but you, er, that's why you shouldn't talk to me. I'm doing you a favor. People will judge, and I'm not that interesting or worth it."

He had been told that by other girls; she would be no exception if she tried to really talk to him.

"Bog, don't you like yourself? Are you afraid to love?"

Bog did not know where that last question had come from, but he had no intention of answering it. Of course he was not afraid to love! It just was not worth it. But no one needed to know that. Dawn's glassy look had gone away, and instead she looked curious. That was _very_ bad. Now he had to go, as clearly she was not afraid of him. It must be a family trait.

"I have to go talk to my friends," he said, pointing to Stuff and Thang who stood staring at him from outside the cafeteria. He was walking away when he realized that he had left abruptly, so he turned toward Dawn and gave her an awkward smile and wave before rushing to catch up to his friends.

Once he was outside, he asked them about their plans.

"So how does the pool look?"

"Well, BK, I don't think we added enough purple, but it looks dark at least," replied Thang with enthusiasm.

Bog groaned.

"The water's supposed to look murky, not dark. Let me see it."

Bog began grumbling and headed toward the pool, only to run into his mother.

"Bog! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you having fun?"

"I was, Mother."

"You silly boy! Well, I was just talking to the most amazing girl, and I think you should talk to her. She seems nice, and I think she needs a friend right now. She looks lonely. Your lonely heart just might connect with hers, and who knows what could happen? Maybe you'll finally date again! Wouldn't that be fantastic?"

Bog wanted to face-palm, but he did not feel right doing that in front of his mother.

"Mother, voice level. Don't say such embarrassing things out loud! How many times have I told you that I don't want to date again? I'm against love. It's stupid and painful."

Bog spread out his hands widely to emphasize his point, but Griselda still shook her head and raised her voice more.

"Nonsense! I am not going to see my only son die alone. You're going to be happy, even if I have to set you up on more blind dates-"

"No thanks, Mother," he said, putting his hand on hers.

"But you should at least consider it, Bog. You should try. You don't have to be alone. Just because you got burned once by a girl doesn't mean that every girl will feel that way about. It's bound to happen sometimes. Love is like a flame sometimes; you'll get burned because you have to be vulnerable to love. But you haven't died yet, have you? You still have friends and a heart."

"The rest of the student body doubts that last part," mumbled Bog.

"What was that, Sweetie?"

"Nothing Mother. I'm just going to go toward the pool."

Griselda's ears perked up at hearing that.

"Then have fun there! And say hi to Marianne if you bump into her!"

He had no intention of saying hi to her, but bump into her he did as he considered all that his mother had said to him about Marianne. Perhaps his friends were right about him being distracted around her.

But having a staring contest with her was becoming hard. They had been standing there for what seemed like ten minutes, and his eyes were becoming itchy. At least he could take comfort in the fact that Marianne's were responding similarly.

"Had enough yet, Bog?"

"Not if you haven't, Tough Girl. You getting tired?"

"Never. I just thought I would take it easy on you now before the big fight."

Nope. He was not going to be able to scratch his right eye yet, he thought sullenly to himself as he growled at Marianne for her smack talk.

"That's some big talk coming from a small, wee girl like you."

Marianne bristled and leaned in closer to Bog.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. At least I don't need a posse to do all of my dirty work."

"So the little kitty has claws, does it? Careful, Marianne. You shouldn't pick a fight with someone who has a lot more in store for tonight's festivities."

Marianne's eyes narrowed, but Bog was unsure if it was because he had managed to scare her, or because she wanted to blink. Either way, he was close to victory.

"Besides," he continued, "you're probably just smarting after seeing my idea happen, and you have no way of fixing it. Fear not, you can still have fun in the pool."

"Sure, Bog, because I've been dreaming of going swimming merrily with a lily pad on top of my head."

For several moments, they stared, and then the full impact of the image of Marianne splashing about while wearing a lily pad was just too much for both. Full-bodied, heaving laughs were shared, both leaning on the other for support.

Once both stopped laughing, they realized how close they were to one another and took large steps to put more distance between them. The awkward silence could have lasted a long time were it not for Thang and his sense of timing.

"Do you need some help over there?"

With the silence thus broken, Marianne spoke as Bog waved the question away.

"As much as I would like to smile, I can't. I'm not fond of you. First you try to mess up my sister's plans, and now I'm being blamed for your trouble-"

"What?" roared Bog.

"The people inside blame me because the color of the water matches my clothes."

"That's preposterous! Stuff, Thang, I thought you had said it was dark."

"It was really dark when we first put it in."

Bog then face-palmed. It seemed he really did need to do everything himself.

"No one takes credit for my genius. Come on, you two. Let's go set the record straight and take our proper credit."

The three left Marianne standing there in open-mouthed shock. Was he really going to take credit for it? Marianne followed and came just in time to hear him ask a question.

"And all of you. How are you enjoying my first prank for the night?"

Marianne stood and watched for several more moments until she watched Stuff and Thang push in the other two triplets. They looked like they were enjoying themselves, and they had each other to stand up for them. That was nice, to have someone to depend on. Then she went to the gym where the go-carts were being used.

Marianne was annoyed when she saw that people were once again just standing around and talking, lounging in the go-carts. She went to one of the go-carts and tried to figure out how to turn it on. When she realized there was no crank to turn it on, she left the gym in search of Sunny. Sunny was good with tools and had access to all of the keys in the school for tonight since all the teachers and custodians trusted him more than the flighty Dawn.

"Marianne! Why do you look so upset?"

Dawn ran up to Marianne, with the shorter Sunny huffing close behind.

"That arrogant, overbearing, menacing, overgrown-"

"What did Bog King do?"

"Wait, Dawn, how did you know I was talking about him?"

"Just call it a hunch, okay, Sis? And where did all this come from? Why didn't you show this to me yet? You look amazing!"

Marianne opened and closed her mouth. Leave it to her sister to put her at ease despite all the problems.

"I needed a change, Dawn. I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" said Dawn, hugging her sister. "I always thought you looked great in purple. But what's going on with Bog?"

"He's destroying your plans! I'm so sorry, Dawn. I'm trying to fix it, but I don't know how. That's why I came here. I need Sunny's help."

"What has he done?" asked Dawn with surprise.

"He had put food dye and lily pads in the pool. He also removed the crank off of the go-carts, so those don't work. I don't know what else he's done, but he has lots more in mind."

"He's probably the one who put all that weird stuff in the food, Dawn," added Sunny helpfully.

"Weird stuff? What weird stuff? Did it touch the oreos?"

Dawn laughed before answering, "Yes, it did touch the oreos, but they actually taste even better now. Come over here and try one. See?"

Marianne grimaced at seeing the odd green color on her oreos, but she tried it upon seeing the earnest look on her sister's face. Then she smiled.

"Wow, this is actually really good! I'm taking some with me. Sunny, can you grab the keys and your tools and help me?"

"Dawn, is it okay if I go? If you need to help, then I can-"

"Go ahead, Sunny. I got this. Marianne needs you more than I do right now. You've already done lots. Go save the world and help get those go-carts running."

The two headed for the door and almost left. Then, Dawn said, "Marianne, don't be mad at Bog. While I'm surprised he did that, the big thing is that I want people tonight to have fun. As long as everyone enjoys themselves, then I'm okay with it. Maybe this is his idea of fun. Did others like it?"

Marianne stopped to think about it. No, they had no hated it, but still!

"They didn't hate it, but they didn't say they liked it either. They just kept on talking."

"That's what matters. Just fix the go-carts and have some fun. You deserve it."

After that, the two left. After going through five closets, they found the missing cranks and began screwing the cranks back into place. As they finished up the last one (without help from anyone else), Bog came in from instilling fear into the hearts of all who saw him inside the pool area. He had been whistling and seemed cheerful until he saw that all the cars were lined up and fixed.

Then Bog marched over to Marianne, who proceeded to push Sunny away and motioned for him to run back to Dawn. Sunny did so with the knowledge that Marianne was capable of taking care of herself. He watched the two shout a little, and when it was clear that she was not going to cower to Bog's bark, he went and joined Dawn.

"What. Have. You. Done?" asked Bog as he poked Marianne in the shoulder.

Marianne stood tall with her chin up, and she folded her arms in defiance.

"What does it look like I did, Bog? Fix your trouble."

"My trouble? I didn't ask for you to do so. They should've been allowed to sit and not use them if they didn't have the slightest clue how to fix the problem."

Bog kept his eyes on Marianne even as he waved away Thang and Stuff. He would win this battle of wits.

"And what if I wanted to use them? Did you think of that, O High and Mighty Bog King?"

"I've seen the little Beetle you drive, Tough Girl. This isn't anything new and exciting for you."

Several people made "o" noises, while others laughed at his scorching remark. The noise doubled when they heard her response.

"At least I drive better than you."

"Doubtful, Tough Girl. Let's take a little drive around the track, and I'll show you exactly how well I drive."

"Deal," she said, reaching out and shaking his hand.

Everyone immediately spread out against the wall to watch the two race on the obstacle course set up. They were about to start their cars when Roland ambled in.

"Well, if it isn't my Marianne. Are we going for a drive? I'll join. C'mon Marianne, we can beat the Goblin King easy."

"Go away, Roland. You aren't wanted here."

"Too late now, Buttercup."

Roland was about to get on the inside, but Marianne moved a little, motioning for him to go between her and Bog.

"Would you please go there, Roland, if you must drive?"

Bog had to cough to hide the laugh he was having at seeing the fake, smug grin on Marianne's face. Clearly, she had a plan for Roland. Never let it be said that he did not do as the lady asked.

Roland considered protesting, but decided not to since Marianne was not trying to hit him. The three started their engines, and while Roland waved to his admiring fans, Marianne motioned to Bog to look at the wooden block in the middle of the lane at the end of the course.

Bog smiled and nodded. The true race would begin after the first lap.

At first, all three were about even, with Marianne slightly ahead because Roland was such a nice guy. Then, about halfway through, she slowed down and got right up next to Roland's car. Bog followed suit. Roland took it good at first, and then he saw the wooden block.

"Hey, Buttercup, I think you should move-"

"Sorry, no can do, Roland. It seems my car is stuck right here. How about yours, Bog?"

"Same, Marianne."

"But, Sweet Pea, I'm going to, AHH! My hair!"

Roland did not even attempt to brake, so he rammed into the wooden block. Of course his first concern was his appearance, not that he could destroy a car like that. He sat there trying to smooth out his good looks until his cronies came and pushed him off the track so that neither one crashed into him later. Then, he got out of his seat and left for the bathroom. He had failed again to impress Marianne.

Meanwhile, Bog and Marianne slapped hands.

"Ready to have a proper race and lose, Bog?"

"I don't even have to try to win against you, Tough Girl. Two laps will determine the winner."

The two sped off, weaving around one another until the very end. No one was sure who would win, but bets were placed. Many were disappointed when the race ended in a tie, but at least Stuff made good money from it. Thang had refused to bet.

"I guess you're not that good of a driver, then, Bog. Looks like you tied with me."

"We're just evenly matched is all," said Bog in a huff.

"So you should be driving a Beetle, too," she said as she smirked and ran away from the incoming remark she was sure to receive for suggesting the tall Bog drive such a small vehicle. As it was, Bog's knees had been almost at his head's level when they had raced.

Bog had been about to make some careless remark in response, but then he saw her run off to the other side of the gym, where he had taken the time to put a fresh coat of wax on the floor. Sure enough, he walked and watched as Marianne went through the doorway and took a couple steps on the floor before falling onto it.

He would have smiled at that little twist in their situations, but he heard all of the people start to laugh at her. He wanted to yell at them. It was not right! She had only tried to help them, and there they were, laughing at her. No one tried to help. He would not stand for it.

Marianne thought that the people had gotten tired of the dancing and music, only to find out that they were not on the floor because it was too slippery to move. She tried to get up and failed. She tried again. At that moment, she could not remember the last time she had felt so alone.

She had done nothing wrong before at the pool, but this was so much worse. She had truly fallen and was making a fool of herself as she tried to get up. No one cared. No one was there for her, and she was doing so on purpose, trying to continue it. Why? She was in so much pain, and if she had someone, then she could share it with someone. Anyone. Even her dad had had her mother. Why was she alone after all this time, and how could she fix this? Building these walls was not worth it since she had no one to trust (besides her sister), which was sad. She was not going to let this continue anymore.

And then there was a hand. Then a foot, and another one.

Finally, two hands reaching out for hers. She looked up, and she saw the bluest eyes she had ever seen, coming from an unexpected face.

"Will you let me help you, Marianne?"

Bog was uncertain, truly not sure if she would take his hand. He knew it was his fault, so he must have felt guilty. But he still walked up and offered to help, and not in a condescending fashion at all. Somehow, he knew that she did not like asking for help. Perhaps he felt similarly.

Those thoughts and more (mostly about how blue his eyes were in the dark of the gym) crisscrossed about until she made up her mind. Marianne was surprised, but she accepted the help. Just because she was strong and independent did not mean that she could not accept help when she could not handle it on her own.

Marianne put her hands in his, pushing her feet against his. Then, he proceeded to pull her up until they were both standing. For the second time that night, they shared a smile, borne out of them working together. Marianne began to realize that perhaps Griselda was right, and Bog found himself at a loss for words because while a triumphant or aggressive Marianne was fun to fight, this newer, softer side of her made him yearn to help her. She was alone, and he knew the feeling well. But when she smiled like that at him, as though he had just given her wings to fly, he felt his heart skip a beat, and part of him wanted to make her smile like that at him again.

The two stared for several moments until a grin appeared on Marianne's face, and Bog realized too late that she was going to push him in retaliation, so he did the next best thing, bring her down with him.

With a loud "oof", the two did not hear the others' laughter, instead concentrating only on the other.

"So, Tough Girl, how do you propose that we get out of this trouble that you've gotten us into yet again?"

"Me? You're the one who did this! It should be you. We're just sitting here making fools of ourselves. How is this even fun?"

"Of course this is fun," said Bog in annoyance, "I planned it; therefore this is the most fun possible in an awkward environment like this."

"I don't see any fun here," said Marianne as she put her hands on her hips.

"Clearly you're not doing it right, then. Now, hold onto your skirt."

"Wait, Bog, what are you….. Eeii!"

Marianne had taken hold of her skirt as she spoke, only for Bog to put his hands on her shoulders and push her, making her slide across the floor with ease. Soon, Bog caught up after pushing himself toward her.

"How about that, Tough Girl? Was that fun?"

Bog looked pleased with himself, so Marianne decided to return the favor.

"Nowhere near enough, almighty King. Hold on."

Soon, the two were chasing after one another, sliding to and from opposite walls on the floor, even racing as they tried to use their arms to go faster. The two would have done it longer had they not realized that other people had decided to join them on the floor, getting in their racing path. Even Stuff and Thang had joined in, each taking turns to push the other.

Once the two saw that they were not going to be able to do as much with so many people on the floor already, they headed for the edge of the slippery floor. Twice they attempted to get up, but both times they sat down the moment they saw that the other was trying to get up.

Finally, Stuff yelled, "Hey, BK! It's about time for that little fight of yours. You ready to go?"

When they saw that it was almost nine, they got up at once and put some distance between them. They walked in silence to the makeshift boxing ring, where they put on the helmets and gloves and stepped onto the blow-up ring that could not be blown up, courtesy of Bog.

"Prepare to lose, Bog."

"Not after I'm done with you, Tough Girl. You'll be begging for mercy."

The parent volunteer reminded them that they had fifteen minutes in the ring before they had to leave. Both waved off the reminder as unnecessary before turning and seeing that there were sticks with cylindrical cushions on the ends. Both picked one up, and then they began to fight.

"Anyone want to bet on the winner?" asked Stuff as innocently as possible.

Soon, Stuff had people on both sides, while she bet on a tie between the two. Both were evenly matched, with the wills and intelligence. Both had some experience with martial arts, but neither had practiced it recently, so she figured that they would have to stop after fifteen minutes.

Marianne took the offensive right away. She took two swings, and Bog blocked them both.

"You're going to have to try harder than that to defeat me, Tough Girl."

"I'm just warming up, Bog. Prepare to have that behind of yours be soundly kicked out of this ring."

"Only by the authorities. Certainly not by those tennis shoes. If you were wearing boots, maybe."

Marianne took another swing and then twirled into him, only for him to try hitting her from above. For several moves, he tried hitting, only for her to almost hit him from below in places no man should ever be hit.

"Are we playing dirty, Tough Girl?"

"Only if you want to allow it."

"Fair and square," said the adult.

Both rolled their eyes, and then Marianne faked a move right, only to strike left. The problem was that Bog's weapon caught hold of hers on her weak side and sent the stick into the air behind him, leaving her defenseless. Bog charged, and Marianne slid between Bog's legs to pick up her weapon, almost getting hit in the process.

"Five minutes," said the adult.

At that point, the two looked at one another with the same thought: time to ditch the large, clumsy weapons. Faces, meet fists.

Several girls screamed as the large sticks came flying at them, while Bog and Marianne began circling one another, trying to get in a punch. Both made several attempts, and then the one minute mark was announced. Both felt tired at that point, but they were determined to have a winner that time, so they gave it one last push.

Marianne gave several elbows and kicks, while Bog blocked. Then he tried to tackle her, only to fall onto the ground and get up before she could jump on top. As he got up, time was called. Another tie.

"Pay up, suckers," said Stuff with pride.

"It seems we're evenly matched in more than one way, Bog."

"So it seems, Tough Girl. It was a good fight."

"Yes. I haven't had that much fun in years! No one ever just lets loose like that with me. They just go easy on me because I'm a girl or some other nonsense."

"Believe me, Tough Girl, I know better."

"There's my little Buttercup," said Roland with a freshly pampered face and body.

"Go away, Roland. I don't want to talk to you."

"Marianne, I just want to talk. Is that so bad?"

"Considering you lie the moment you open your mouth? Yes. Leave me alone."

Roland normally would have walked on up to her to try something, but then he saw Bog, Brutus, Stuff, and Thang all move to stand behind her, with Bog directly behind. Bog gave his best "Run, or I'll give you a reason to cry" face, and Roland decided it best to wait until Marianne had no one around. He was doing a terrible job of getting close to her tonight.

"Alright, Sweet Pea, I'll go, but if you need me, you know how to find me. Ta ta!"

Marianne saw the look of fear enter Roland's eyes as he ran out, almost falling in the process, and she was surprised. Had she done it all by herself?

Then she turned around and saw all four standing behind her. They were why she was safe. They had helped, even though they did not know her well. Marianne knew she was smiling.

"Thanks, you guys. You didn't have to do it, but I appreciate it all the same. I would've just punched him."

Three of the four just smiled and shrugged their shoulders, pointing at Bog. Bog was smiling, but he could not speak. Finally, he said, "You're welcome, Tough Girl. Now as for all of you, get ready for the show. To your positions."

"But what about-"

"She's good, Stuff. Just go."

The three scrambled out, and Bog walked up to Marianne with a smile on his face. His eyes looked afraid, but everything else seemed confident.

"So, Tough Girl, after all this saving, you ready to show some appreciation for all the help you've received?"

Bog leaned in close, and Marianne saw that no one else was in the room besides them. Had she put her trust in the wrong person?

Before she could think further, Marianne followed her instincts. When Bog was less than a foot from her face, she leaned back and slapped him. Next, she tried to punch him. Bog caught her punch with a tut.

"I knew that was coming, Tough Girl. I also know that-"

He would have continued, but Marianne tried to punch him with her other hand. It was then that Thang brought in an adult, who saw Marianne throw the punch, and Bog with a hand at the ready.

"Stop this at once! Both of you come with me right now."

Both stopped, but Marianne was confused why Bog was smiling so much. Why did he seem so glad to be caught?

The adult led the pair to a set of doors that led to a portion of the school closed off to the lock-in. They were shown into a classroom.

"You two will sit here to think about what you were doing. Both of you should be ashamed. I'll come by later to check on you both, and I expect you to have made up by then."

Marianne wanted to scream, but then she saw Bog smiling even more.

"What is with you, Bog? Why are you smiling so much? Did you _want_ to be caught?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I did. The only way the next part of my plan works is if I had access to this portion of the school, so thank you."

At that, two soft knocks came at the door. Bog tapped his desk twice in response. Thang walked in.

"Are you ready to start preparations?"

"Sure am. Marianne, would you like to join us?"

Bog extended a hand out to her, and Marianne took it. For a brief second, she considered not doing so just to spite him after tricking her like that. If he had wanted that, then he should have asked her. But did he trust her? Maybe not. Either way, she wanted to go, for curiosity and to make sure they did not cause any serious trouble.

Once Thang started to run off, Bog started talking.

"I'm sorry I had to surprise you like that. I wasn't sure if you were ready to join my band of misfits. Really, you should join the dark side. We have cookies, specifically oreos. They're quite amazing."

Both reached into a side pocket and pulled out a baggie full of oreos. Marianne eyed him.

"How did you know I like oreos?"

"Your sister told me," said Bog with a grin.

 _Figures. No wonder she was so willing to talk about him. But why was she talking about me?_

"Fine, give me the bag, Bog."

"But are you joining us? Will you commit yourself to our side?"

"Honestly, Bog? I don't know. Are we fighting for the same thing? And are we doing it the right way?"

"We both want to give Roland exactly what he deserves, public humiliation. You choose to punch him and get suspended, while I prefer to do it in more than one way. If I get suspended, then it will be in style."

"Drama king," said Marianne.

"I like an audience. What can I say? But, seriously, you can join us. Let me know by the time the talent show ends."

"So generous you are," said Marianne with sarcasm. In truth, she was surprised that she was not being forced to make a decision then and now. But perhaps he expected her to join and was willing to wait.

"What can I say? I'm a King. So, shall we split the oreos?"

While the two ate their oreos and Bog tried not to look at Marianne as she ate it the same way as him, the rest of the group from the science club was hard at work. Stuff gave orders while Thang was on door duty to check that no one got close enough to see what they were doing. Marianne watched the long chain of normally quiet and law-abiding science club members take buckets full of a sparkly liquid and various articles of clothing from one end of the school to another in order to prepare a full-scale assault upon those that had made fun of them for too long. It was empowering to watch.

Once all of the stuff was gathered in a central place, Bog gave out lists to each group so that they could assemble what was needed. With much talking and chaos in place, some made kits with silly string, whipped cheez whiz in a can, and permanent markers, while others separated clothing into labelled bags. Bog walked around to inspect everything, encouraging them when they did a good job.

At some point, Stuff led Bog and Marianne over to a corner while Thang watched.

"BK, I know we helped her, but should she really be here? What if she compromises our cause? What if she spills the beans? No offense to you, Marianne, but I hardly know you."

Marianne smiled to show that she was not offended. It was Bog's response that surprised her.

"We may not know her well, but we know people like her, ourselves. She's a thinking member of society, albeit more inclined toward lawful good than any of us. I trust her."

Stuff shrugged her shoulders before saying, "Alright, so long as you do, I guess that's what matters. I don't see why you got so mad at us before-"

"That was before I saw the possibilities, Stuff. Your loose mouths actually worked in your favor for once."

After that, all went back to guiding work until Brutus came running down the hall.

"Teacher coming."

Marianne knew what that meant, that they were finally being allowed out of their classroom. She quickly grabbed Bog's hand and dragged him down the hall to where they belonged so that they would not get caught.

In her haste, she did not see the shocked faces of Bog and the rest of the science club at her willingness to take his hand, or even just touch him. Bog was not a hugger, or a touchy-feely kind of person by anyone's standards that anyone felt comfortable doing so, so the fact that Marianne did it now was a first.

Once Bog got over his surprise at Marianne taking his hand, he caught up to her. He almost wanted to make it a race, but that singular sensation of holding hands was new and almost welcome if he was being honest with himself. When they made it inside the door, he leaned on his knees while she leaned against the door, all in attempts to catch their breath.

"Wow, that was close. Next time, Bog, we need to move our punishment door, or else move the operations closer."

Bog nodded and tried to hold back his smile. The fact that she was willing to say that meant that he had convinced her, or at least she was close. That, and the exercise did wonders to her, brightening her eyes and giving her some color. When she smiled back at him, Bog knew he was in trouble. His heart should not beat so erratically when she smiled at him like that, nor should he want to draw closer to her.

A teacher came in, Ms. Plum, and she led the two troublemakers back to the rest of the festivities. She just smiled mysteriously and said she was glad that the two seemed to be having fun.

The pair continued to share knowing grins, even if Bog's mind was in turmoil. He knew how his heart felt in that moment, that he was falling in love with Marianne. There was no other explanation for why he wanted to stay close to her and keep making her smile.

Why did he fall in love so easily, even when it was not right, time-wise and in general? This would prevent him from making clear decisions about her and her ability to help. He needed to get away for a while, so it was a good thing the talent show was fast approaching.

"Well, Tough Girl, this is where I leave you. I have some last minute things to take care of before the talent show. I, uh, I look forward to hearing you sing."

Bog ran off, not wanting to show his true feelings to her if he could help it. Those would not help right now, only complicating things between them. Still, his mother brought up a good point, that if he ever did want to get closer to her, he would have to make himself more vulnerable and try. He could do it, but he would not until her actions showed that she wanted that, that she wanted to know about him.

Marianne wandered to the cafeteria to find Dawn, who immediately ran over to her.

"You look confused. Why?"

"Bog knows that I was planning to sing at the talent show tonight."

"Of course you were, silly; you were going to, oh I see. No more Roland, so you can't sing that song together. So what are you singing instead?"

"Certainly nothing romantic. Love is strange, stupid, and painful."

Dawn tsked before she said, "Love is all those things, but it's still worth it in the end. You wouldn't have me otherwise, right? We share a sisterly bond of love."

"Not that kind of love, Dawn. Romantic love. I don't want that."

"It's still love, Marianne. Love always makes you do crazy things. But as for romantic love, you just need to find a guy who doesn't lie and cheat. You got all of college and beyond to find one."

"I don't want it. End of story."

"You've been hurt once, Marianne. You can't stop now! You have to keep trying, trying to make yourself vulnerable in small ways until you trust a person, the same way I trust Sunny over there. And who says you have to date right away? Why not be friends first? You can try doing that, right?"

Marianne considered her sister's words carefully before speaking.

"I guess I could do that, Dawn. I do want to have the kind of friendship you have with Sunny. But everyone here is so fake."

"Are Bog and his friends all like that? He seems nice and considerate. You could be friends, especially since you think so much alike."

Bog was nice? Considerate she could see, but nice? Well, that was Dawn for you. But she did bring up a point. He trusted her. Could they be friends?

"The talent show is about to begin! Everyone get into your seats!"

Marianne went to sit in the front row, curious to see what Bog had in mind.

The first group up was an acapella group of seniors, dancing and clapping as they sang, "Dance your cares away. Worries for another day. Let the music play."

Once that group was done, other seniors came up and took their turn to perform onstage. While another group of acapella singers came up and sang some gibberish about "Mah Nah Mah Nah" and alternated between fanning out on stage and hiding behind the three main singers, the stage crew began setting up for the football team's skit.

Marianne knew that Roland was not singing in this skit originally, but she was unsure if that would change since they had broken up. As it turned out, Roland was not there, nor were his three pretty-boy goons.

But the rest of the team came out to sing "The Boys are Back in Town". They did their dancing skit and flexed their muscles until the end, where they had planned to ride their bicycles off the stage in style. The bikes were in a corner with a cover on, all lying flat, so when the boys finally threw off the cover, a swirl of pink glitter enveloped them all, and that was when Marianne realized that all of the bikes had been replaced with pink tricycles. Then she laughed with the rest of the student body, but with far more gusto.

The football team was unsure what to do, so they just sat down on the bikes and attempted to ride them, only for their knees to get stuck when trying to push the pedals. At that point, they just ignored the bikes and made the fastest exit they could.

Amidst all that laughter, the triplets came on stage, hushing the laughter so that the "big event" could come onstage. Marianne was almost tempted to boo.

In the end, Marianne was glad she refrained, as she was laughing up a storm by the end of Roland's failed performance. Originally, Roland had planned to sing a medley of songs to Marianne to convince her to come back to him, starting with "Baby Come Back". It would have been laughable to Marianne to start with, but when mops and brooms began to be lowered from the ceiling so that they could dangle and mime the movements of Roland's body, Marianne had to remind herself to breathe as all four danced, not realizing that they had a backup dance group.

Roland then began singing "I Want You to Want Me", but it was at that moment that another song started to get inserted in its place, Haddaway's "What is Love". Roland was confused by that addition, but the triplets seemed to not realize that that was not supposed to be in there, so they were bopping their heads and pretending to hit one another. Marianne wanted to go on stage and punch Roland, so that he would have a reason to sing those words.

Finally, Roland went into the final song, "Don't You Want Me Baby", but Roland did not get very far before he felt something hit him. Then again. And again. They were small and round, but Roland kept looking behind, not at the ground. Then, the small items flew into the audience, and one of the students caught it and yelled how someone was throwing Chips Ahoy cookies at them. At that point, everyone started talking and getting out of their seats to try to get the cookies, much to Roland's consternation.

But, that was not all that was planned. Just as Roland sang the last notes, another song came on, "Barbie Girl". At that point, long, blonde wigs came from the ceiling and dropped onto the four guys' heads. Marianne lost it after that.

After a few more acts, the science club came on stage in varying states of tattered clothes, all of them looking like zombies. Bog dressed as a werewolf, taking center stage as all danced and sang along to "Thriller", with Bog being the main singer as he warned everyone of the thriller night that awaited them all.

If Marianne had any doubts that she would join the group, they were all quelled after that performance. She enjoyed watching Bog instill fear within everyone as he promised them that no one was safe, thanks to his friends.

Toward the end, Marianne's turn finally came to sing. Few had actually heard her sing besides Sunny, Dawn, and Roland, so it was weird doing it now. But, it was expected that everyone perform something and contribute toward the event. Those who did not had to be on crew.

Marianne stood in a corner, singing low at first, but slowly getting louder with each new line. She had told the head of the talent show what her song would be earlier in the day, after much debating. She had only made her decision after hearing Stuff and Thang speak, and that was when she decided to sing "Trouble".

As Marianne got louder, she flew across the stage, stomping and doing cartwheels. When she got to the other end, she saw that a pink tricycle had been pushed toward her, and that gave her an idea. As she sang the bridge before the final refrains, Marianne hopped onto the tricycle and used it like a skateboard, sailing across the stage and pointing at the crowd with an evil grin on her face. She used a curtain to stop her motion at the end and jumped off the tricycle.

When she finished singing, all of the student body was quiet for a moment, stunned, and then they clapped enthusiastically.

The talent show ended soon after her performance, and everyone went off to find the school area transformed with the new activities to do.

Marianne received a hug from Dawn for her performance, and then she went to look for Bog. Sure enough, he stood at the back, leaning against the wall without his costume.

"I like your idea of fun, Bog."

He smiled at her and held out a hand, which she took.

"Welcome to the Dark Side, Marianne. You won't regret this."

The unlikely pair made their way toward the all-purpose room, where the massage chairs were being used. Marianne saw all the happy, innocent people and balked.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Hey, how about we go back."

"Nonsense. You're far too concerned about others, when you should be more worried about yourself. They'll survive, and they'll even enjoy it, eventually. Try thinking of this as an adventure."

Bog gave a little grin before waving his arms toward a back room where Thang waved excitedly. Marianne knew this was the only way to see if these people could be what she was looking for. Besides, they had not broken anything yet, or done anything to get them suspended, so she was just worrying too much, like she always tended to do.

Once all were assembled, they discussed their plan of attack.

"Stuff, go get the mood music ready, and then be ready to distract. We need all attention on you so that Thang can sneak under chairs and bring out these buckets of ice water. Marianne and I will bring out the buckets the first half of the way, and then Thang can squeeze under the chairs with the buckets and guide people's hands and feet into them. Meanwhile, we'll use this low lighting and visit the other chairs not visited by water and place the plastic handcuffs on their hands."

Another group would come in for the next round of people on the chairs (as each session lasted an hour, longer if someone fell asleep) later, but they had the first bunch to set the precedent.

Stuff brought out a CD full of relaxing Enya music and played that. Afterward, she made herself useful by bringing drinks to the masseuses who had been hired to come. The water bucket brigade then began making all the necessary trips.

At one point, as Thang was handing water to Marianne, he said, "I'm so glad you decided to join us. You are a nice person, even if we had no idea why you were with that jerk Roland. You've got friends here."

Several times during Marianne's trips, her eyes would meet Stuff's eyes. Stuff usually just looked at Thang as he almost tripped and would roll her eyes. Marianne smiled and shrugged her shoulders at his clumsiness. Bog did not talk much, as his eyes and mind seemed elsewhere.

With the water delivered, Bog and Marianne began daring one another to go out and start the handcuffing. Bog started, and each time they tried to one-up the other without getting caught until all had been restrained. The keys to the cuffs were left on the floor near the students' shoes. Then Marianne and Bog watched as people's hands touched the cold water, some yelping.

After much snickering, the group left through a back entrance and gave each other high-fives.

"Can we mess with the Vegas Room now? I'm so excited to steal and run."

"Why not, Stuff. Marianne? Are you ready to rob from the students and give to the poor House?"

It was a well-known fact that each year, the senior lock-in had a Vegas room, where the people at the stations were instructed to help students as much as possible to win. It was also the most packed room, as everyone tried to get the fake money to change in for good prizes, but there was a line to get in as a result. The people who got in first were always the popular ones, so Bog had decided to help the school a bit.

"But how are we getting in that room? There's a huge line!"

"Don't worry, Marianne, Brutus and others have been working in there already. Once they see us, they will conveniently take a break, and we'll take over. Then we have all the access we want."

"I'm surprised they're letting us do it since we're seniors. Bog, how'd you pull that off?"

"I'll show you later, Smart Girl. One of the many joys of computers. Now, let's have some fun."

The group went in and started dressing up in the proper uniforms as servers, bringing in drinks, fake money, and cards as needed. They made the switch, and then they went to town.

"Person who takes the most fake money gets first dibs on the sleeping people later," said Thang excitedly.

Marianne gave Bog a puzzled look, and he waved it off.

"After this, we shall be using all that silly string at last. It's one of my favorite parts. You'll see why, Smart Girl. But for now, this game works best if you have a partner. Those two always work together, so you'll be with me. You'll steal first, while I annoy and distract. After that, we'll take turns. The key is not to visit a table too often, as then they get suspicious."

"Why do I get the feeling that you've done this before, Bog?"

"There's a reason my Mother is working in here, Smart Girl. She loves this stuff, and has been known to keep a little for herself now and then."

"Does she know what you're doing?"

"If she doesn't, she soon will when we come to her table. Don't let her distract you, as she might try to pickpocket you. She may be old, but she's got some fast hands."

With that warning in place, the two began by serving drinks. There were several tables in need of drinks, so the first three tables were easy. After that, Marianne made eye contact with Griselda, who smiled and waved before pointing at Bog with a wink. Marianne felt the fake money in her pocket, making sure all 1,500 of it was still there.

The pair went back and turned in the first bunch of money. They had slightly more than Stuff and Thang, and they intended to keep it that way. They brought out more money from the storeroom and began distributing that, taking a little for themselves as well along the way.

It was during those times that Marianne discovered that Bog was horrible at making small talk, though he could think up reasons for acting a certain way easily. She was a little better with small talk (but not much since she tended to insult people), so she was given that job if the table leaders tried to engage them before they went to the next table. If they talked too much, Bog just tripped someone using his long legs, and then they went to help the poor soul.

When it came time to visit Griselda's table, she was ready for them. She kept all the students' eyes on her by doing some card tricks. Both snuck a great deal out of the piles during that time, and then Griselda addressed Bog.

"Bog, dearest, would you get me something to drink. My throat is just parched. Be a good boy and do that while I talk to Marianne a second, alright?"

Bog grumbled and did as asked, making hand motions to watch her pockets. After he left, Griselda dealt the next hand and began talking to Marianne while the students pondered on whether to stay in.

"My, but you two have been so busy tonight! And just look at all these people. Has my Bog been taking care of you? Isn't he loyal, just like I said?"

Marianne agreed, as Bog had shown himself well so far. He only smiled and encouraged her, and gave his friends more reason to trust her. Things could not have been going smoother.

"Good. He may seem bristly at first, but he's a softie. Now you take good care of him, you hear? Don't go breaking his heart like the last girl who did."

As Griselda spoke, she placed a hand on Marianne's arm. Marianne froze, unsure what to say. She was partly afraid of saying something wrong, and that Griselda would try to reach her pocket, which was close by.

"I don't, that is to say, I would never-"

Another hand touched her waist, sitting on top of her pocket's opening. Then, she felt a warm breath near her ear, making her heart hammer repeatedly.

"What Marianne is trying to say is that, she would never do such a thing. She's too good a person to do that and betray trust. Now if you'll excuse us, Mother, we need to go give water to others. Come along, Tough Girl."

Bog kept one hand behind Marianne as he led her to safety. Once they were back in the back room, Bog pulled away and asked her to make sure she had not lost anything.

"What, exactly, did my mother ask you? Did you accuse you of stealing out loud?"

"No, she didn't accuse me of stealing. She just wanted to know if you were taking care of me."

The two counted in silence for a moment, both lost in thought. Bog had seen his mother far too close to Marianne, and his instinct was to rush to her side. Marianne looked concerned, and he wanted to be there for her. He knew that he did not have to be so close, but knowing his mother, she would be unlikely to put up a fuss at them leaving if he appeared close to her.

There was no denying that he had enjoyed the moment of closeness, and being allowed to stay behind her like that was something he wanted to do again. He knew he was falling for her, and despite staying away a little earlier, it all came back, even stronger than before. At this point, he only hope was that she might develop feelings for him. It was unlikely to happen since most girls ran away from him, but he had to do as his mother suggested and try.

Meanwhile, Marianne thought about what Griselda had said about Bog and his love problems. She was curious to know what had happened there. Then there was the matter of how close Bog had gotten. He certainly did not seem bothered by being close to her. In fact, he seemed to like it since he had kept it up after getting away from the table. What did it mean?

The rest of their three hour shift (including what little the others had done) went by smoothly, with Bog and Marianne making significantly more since everyone trusted Marianne. Marianne had watched Bog's movements, and she began thinking of questions to ask him. He would ask similar ones of her, so she prepared her answers as well.

When they went to the prize room, Bog smirked at the sad faces on people as they waited in line.

"Bog, what else did you do here?"

"We only changed a few numbers on the exchange rate signs. We had to make it a little fairer for the House. But enough of this. It's time for my favorite part of the night."

A storage closet by the bathrooms was the main hub for all of the supplies. Inside, all of the kits of silly string, whipped cheez whiz in a can, and permanent markers.

"Warriors, choose your weapon of choice and make sure you have enough to last until reload time. Operation Paint the Students Orange and Black shall now commence. Anyone who is asleep or is unaware is a viable target."

Marianne had liked sneaking money away from certain table-hogging students, but she enjoyed the silly string much more. She was amazed at how many students had found blankets and were sleeping in various corners of the lock-in, which made her job so much easier. They each took turns doing something to a student. Marianne tended to go after clothing, while Stuff and Thang went to town with the cheez whiz, spraying it in people's hair in different styles, or if they were really asleep, rubbing in the fake cheese and then adding more on top. Bog gave facial hair and glasses to anyone he touched with the permanent markers.

During one of their breaks from pranking, the four sat and talked until Bog called Marianne "Smart Girl", and then she sprayed him with silly string. He ducked, making Stuff get hit by the silly string. That led to a full-out civil war between the four, Bog using his extra kit supplies to hit them.

He managed to mark Marianne a few times on the hands with his markers, but otherwise he got her with silly string. Marianne made sure that Bog's hair was colorful, and that silly string went down his shirt.

After they exhausted their supplies, they went for seconds and continued on. When the seconds were exhausted, they set out to get ready for the last event of the night, class elections and baby picture sharing. Bog took Marianne with him to the upstairs computer and projector while the other two stood guard.

Marianne watched as Bog hacked into the school's computer system with amazement.

"Where'd you learn to do this, Bog?"

"While my mother has fast hands with money, mine are with computers. Computers…. They just make sense to me. I understand them far more than I do people. People can be emotional and irrational, and these things? Always consistent."

"You make it sound like you prefer computers over people," she said with hesitation.

"That's because I do, Tough Girl. Computers won't insult you or reject you without a just reason. People will, all the time. I'm surprised you don't enjoy this type of thing."

Marianne heard the bitterness in his voice, so she figured now was a good time to ask while he continued to insert new songs into the already-made video, as well as pasted people's baby photos onto animal bodies.

"While I do hate a lot of people in this school right now because of their treatment toward me, it does not mean I'm going to give up. If anything, I'm going to become a teacher so that others will learn respect and be better than our peers. Have you given up?"

"I gave up a long time. People just aren't worth it," said Bog.

"But you still have Stuff and Thang, as well as people in the science club. That has to count for something."

"Some I know a little, but not much. I doubt they want to know me that well. I think most are still scared of me. Stuff and Thang are the only ones who have tried more, so they're worth it."

"What made you stop believing in people, if you don't mind me asking?"

Bog turned toward Marianne and eyed her suspiciously.

"Did my Mother say something to you?"

"Maybe, yes. You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to-"

"No, I do," he interrupted. It was probably better to get all of this out in the open with her right now if he ever wanted something more with her. Either she found out from him or hearsay, which he did not want.

"My story has a couple similarities to yours, Marianne. At the end, at least."

"I doubt you've heard all of my story, Bog. But I'll explain after you talk."

"Sounds good," he said. "Anyways, I went to a different high school at first, and there was a girl I had liked from middle school. In high school, she started smiling at me a lot, and I thought she liked me. I asked her to homecoming, and she turned me down, laughing in my face. She had received five other proposals to homecoming already, and she had wanted to know if I would ever get the nerve to do something more than stare awkwardly."

"That's terrible!"

"That's not the worst of it, sadly. She told her friends, and they laughed at me and picked on me in school. Needless to say, I transferred out of there as soon as the year ended. Then I came here to Henson High, and the people seemed like the same kind of people, so shallow and self-absorbed. No one tried to help me except Thang, who was scared to even talk to me."

"What changed between you and him?"

"Our chemistry teacher saw that I excelled, so he wanted me in science club for competitions. Thang was my partner since no one had ever interacted with me. Stuff came along to protect him from me. We got to talking eventually. But enough about me. What don't I know about the whole Roland thing? What did you even see in that blabbering idiot?"

"I'm not sure anymore," she said. "I thought that he was so brave, charming, and athletic."

"More than half of the school thinks that," he said.

"True. So when he asked me to homecoming sophomore year, I was super excited at the time. That he would pick me, of all the other girls. After that, he asked if we could date, and I agreed. I had niggling doubts every once in a while when he came late for something, but I dismissed them, even as I tutored him and watched him play football. It was so much of an honor to be chosen, and then I saw that he really hadn't wanted me."

"So you did find him cheating on you right before prom?"

"Yes, with the other girl from National Honor Society who had helped me tutor him. They had been kissing far too close and long when I finally announced my presence. And then everyone thought I was an idiot for dumping him, even though he was the wrong that did wrong."

"Everyone had known what he was doing, Marianne. They thought you an idiot for letting it go on so long, and then laughed at you. It sucks when you find out how much people don't care about you."

"Ain't that the truth," she said with a sigh.

"And that's why you should stop wanting to be a teacher, and join the computer revolution. It's much more fun, and there's no messiness involved. I think you'd enjoy it, Marianne."

"I might. What are you doing right now?"

"Checking the security cameras to see how our cohorts are doing. Watch what I do."

For a time, Marianne sat and absorbed (aka took notes) as Bog hacked into various parts of the school system, taking especial note of the digital security cameras with their data saved from the last three months. Bog had been programming for years, but it was only after he had been rejected that he threw himself into the programming. When he was satisfied with that part, he showed her the basics for image manipulation with photoshop.

"Wait, when did our school get photoshop?"

"Since I downloaded it illegally and hid it."

"But you aren't able to download and save anything. The computers are programmed not to let us."

"It's a simple matter of going in a changing it. See? Here's the original program. Just make it so that there's an exception for a certain userid, mine in particular, and then you're all set. And now we need to decide what animal we want Roland to be associated with. Any preferences?"

"I'd like it if you could put him as a turkey about to get his neck cut off, but I know that can't happen."

"Oh ye of little faith, you underestimate me and the power of google."

Soon, one of Roland's three baby pictures had been pasted onto a turkey. Both laughed at the final product.

"Shall we be nice to him and let the other two be normal like everyone else's?" he asked.

"Of course not. He needs more."

"I was hoping you'd say that, Tough Girl. I'm rubbing off on you, I think."

"Perhaps, but there's the part of me that wants revenge. What else can we do to him?"

Soon, Roland had been placed in a big rolling in dirt (Bog's idea), and he was about to be kicked by a horse (Marianne's idea). After that, they went on to finish the rest.

"I'm surprised that you're waiting so long to do all these changes, Bog. I thought you would've done this long ago."

"I did, three weeks ago. I tried a few, but someone went in and changed it. Every time so far, they have changed it. Now they won't have time, so I'm making them more obnoxious than before."

"Are you going to go into college to use those photoshop skills at all? Or are you just going to do programming?"

"Computer science all the way," he said. "You should consider it as well. It's a growing field, and we need more women in engineering."

"I'm going to be a teacher," she said with finality.

"Why? Because your father was and he told you to do so?"

Marianne was about to yell at him for saying such a thing, but he was right. She was following exactly in her father's footsteps, and he did not want her straying from the path. Something Roland had wanted as well, though he did not want her working at all once married, which she thought was silly.

"It may have started out like that, yes, but over time, I still want to help students. There's a reason why I'm the best tutor in school."

"How'd you earn that title?" asked Bog.

"Not everyone can make the dumbest jock in school look smart and say the right things."

"Fair enough. Roland has fooled everyone there, and now he's going to school on a football scholarship. He'll never be able to properly read or speak now."

Marianne laughed at Bog's remark before continuing.

"All the same, I'm good at helping people, and I'd like to do that. And if I can show people how to act properly, I'll do it. I can control a room when in charge."

"I saw you perform. I believe you. Still, you should at least consider engineering. Plenty of them get masters and then teach. But you might find you like some aspect of engineering more, especially after you figured out how to put back together those go-carts. I'm still surprised you got them so easily."

"Sunny has all the keys. He helped a lot."

Bog narrowed his eyes at the mention of Sunny.

"Is he with Dawn, or not? I can't tell. He's always around her."

"They're good friends. I wish they would. She has made some bad choices in the past."

"I don't know. He seems so small. How will he stand up for her."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were protective of my sister," said Marianne with a laugh.

"No, no! Not that. It's just, when I see a genuinely nice girl, I don't want to see her become someone terrible like the rest."

"Alright, Bog. You about done?"

"I think so. Let's go see how the gym is faring, shall we?"

The group went first to the dancing floor, where some people had pulled out bleachers to dance in a corner. Stuff did not want to go toward the small space, so Thang stayed with her while the other two inspected the fun. A new song came on, and Bog saw Marianne bouncing to the song.

"So have you ever been to a dance, Bog?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it like that."

"But what's wrong with a little dancing? It's a good song. It's tradition to dance at least once while at senior lock-in. Are you going to break tradition?"

"As much as possible," he said.

"Well, I'm still going to dance a little," she said.

By the time they got there, she started dancing, with Bog close by. He chuckled at her exaggerated dance moves as she tried to encourage him to join her, and then a slow song came on. Both of them knew the song, but neither moved. Finally, Bog approached Marianne after seeing the wistful look in her eyes as she looked anywhere but at him. He did want to ask, but he was afraid of rejection, especially at a dance. But this was Marianne; she was different.

"May I have this dance, Marianne?"

"You may," she said, closing the distance between them in a moment.

"Did you do these dances with Roland often?"

"The slow ones, yes. Otherwise, he left the floor because he was afraid of hurting himself or his precious throwing arm. I think he was embarrassed by my dance moves."

"I'm betting it was the latter," he replied with a chuckle, "as you do have some odd moves, but if you saw mine, I think I'd win for strangest."

"Strange dance moves to go with the strange magic. How appropriate," she said.

The two continued to dance, not realizing that they had an audience. At first, Stuff and Thang had been making fun of Marianne's dancing, and then they saw them start dancing together. Stuff ran and got Griselda, as Thang was enjoying watching them too much to leave. Griselda's joy at seeing them together made Thang's enjoyment seem like he was indifferent. When the two stopped dancing, all three watchers busied themselves, Griselda leaving her post to go back to cheating students of fake money.

As Marianne and Bog walked back, they started talking again.

"I'm glad Dawn's not around to see this," said Marianne.

"Same with my Mother. She'd be picking out a church right now. But, speaking of Dawn, we should go check on her."

"Why? You want more oreos?"

"Yes, I want those, but I recall listening to Roland in the bathroom right before the lock-in started. It sounded like he was going to use Dawn in order to get to you. Seeing as the night is more than half over, he must be getting desperate."

"Why didn't you mention something sooner, Bog?"

They had just approached Bog's friends, but Marianne ignored them in favor of rushing to find her sister. Bog explained to them what he had just said, and then they followed after Marianne, afraid for Dawn.

When Marianne entered the cafeteria, it seemed like she had come just in the nick of time. Roland was in the room with his cronies, but they were sitting at a table some ways off. Dawn was flitting about, serving food.

Once Marianne was within arms' reach of Dawn, Roland got out of his seat and made his way toward the girls. His wingmen followed behind, getting into position. None of them saw Bog and his friends come in soon after. Marianne saw all of them come toward her, but she was ready because she had her sister already. Having Bog there made her feel a little more at peace.

"My darling Marianne, where have you been for the last few hours? I've been searching every place I can to find you. Somehow I just knew that you would eventually come check on your sister."

"Hi, Roland. Please go away. I thought I made myself clear multiple times tonight. If you come near me, I will punch your jaw out of alignment so that you won't want to stare at your Barbie-doll face in the mirror anymore."

The triplets chuckled until Roland gave them a silencing look.

"Now, Buttercup, you weren't involved in that song appearing, were you?"

"I wish, Roland. But I believe the ones you should thank are behind you," said Marianne, a fake smile on her face. The smile became much more natural when her eyes met with Bog's.

Roland turned around and saw the three behind him. He moved toward Marianne just a few more steps, anything to get away from them when they all shared angry looks like that.

"I can't say I was thrilled when you ruined my perfect sequence by adding in those two songs, but I won't ask for anything in return. As it so happens, I was just about to go!"

The "go" was shouted ten times higher than the rest of what he said, and as he said it, the triplets went into action. One guy jumped between Dawn and Marianne, holding Marianne in place. The other two went to the other side of Dawn, where they had wheeled a metal cafeteria tray rack. One crouched down, while the other pushed the top of the rack toward Dawn.

As the wheels scraped coming down, Dawn screamed, and Marianne tried to free herself. Roland started running toward Dawn as though to save her, only to become afraid of the rack full of food (including the ever-dangerous pudding). Marianne started to shout at Dawn to run, but Dawn was frozen to the spot.

Marianne made another desperate attempt to save her sister by kicking the triplet where the sun did not shine, and he finally let go of her to sing out his pain. Bog and his friends had started running when they saw the triplets move, but they were not fast enough to beat the rack.

But someone else was. Fast and short enough.

"I've got you, Dawn! Hold on!" shouted Sunny as he jumped and pushed Dawn toward the table, knocking her to her feet so that they could crawl under the table and avoid the metal rack of doom. Sunny had been in the kitchen when he heard Roland start to talk, and then he saw the triplets moving the rack. No way was he letting that thing crush her before he got the courage to tell her how he felt for her!

"Dawn, are you alright?" asked Sunny softly.

"Sunny? Is that you? Yes! You saved me!" she said, hugging Sunny tightly. "Thank you so much! I was so afraid!"

"I was too, Dawn. I thought I had lost you."

"Lost me? Do I mean that much to you?" asked Dawn with uncertainty.

"Sure, Dawn. I love you. I've loved you for years. I-"

"Oh, Sunny! Thank you! I love you, too! Let's go out! How about next week?"

Marianne coughed in an attempt to bring the new couple back to reality, while Roland and his friends disappeared. Bog was impressed by Sunny's quick thinking. Perhaps he was good enough for Dawn, after all.

When Dawn finally heard Marianne, she looked up into the worried face of her sister. She got out from under the table at once, the two sisters running to one another.

"Dawn, are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you want me to find a nurse?"

"Marianne, I'm great! Never better. Nothing was injured, as Sunny broke my fall. If anything, we should find a nurse for Sunny. Sunny, does anything hurt?"

"Nope, I'm good. Every little thing gonna be alright."

"That's a relief. Thanks again, Sunny."

"I'm with Dawn on this. Thank you, Sunny, for taking care of my sister. I was so worried when those goons started moving."

"I love her almost as much as you do, Marianne."

Sunny crawled out from under the table and joined the sisters' hug, glad to have Dawn at last. Dawn leaned her head toward Sunny and gave him a peck on the cheek. Sunny blushed, and Marianne coughed again.

"Okay, you two can be lovebirds after I leave. I'm glad you're both safe. I'm going to head out, and I'll be back later."

Marianne turned to leave, only to find out that her new friends were not in the cafeteria anymore. She was not sure why, but she assumed that they had wanted to give her privacy. She went looking for them, and when they were not close by, she headed for the gym, over to where the sports were being played. Perhaps they were checking on that.

Upon entering the room, Marianne discovered that no one from the science club was in the gym, as there were two teams on opposite sides of the room. One side had all the football players on it, while the other side was a group of people who looked afraid. Marianne did not understand their fear until a whistle was blown, and then all the football players ran toward the deflated balls in the center, taking turns throwing the balls at all the scared people.

Marianne was incensed. How dare they use volleyballs and soccer balls as dodgeballs like that! Those things hurt, even more when deflated! Marianne could not stand and watch the slaughter, so she simply stepped in and began grabbing all the balls she could, telling the non-football players to hold all the balls in one corner for her.

Once Marianne had possession of all the balls, after many death glares given to the football players, she went and found an air pump. If they were going to use the balls, then it would have to be properly, not in such a way that everyone got hurt. Bog would not like it.

After she had pumped up two balls, the football players approached her.

"Thanks for pumping those up for us. We couldn't find one for the longest time."

"You're welcome. But it's not for you. It's-"

"For me, of course. Thank you, Buttercup. I knew you still loved me all along. You sure played nice with all the dorks, but you don't fool me. I'm glad you were able to convince them to tell you where to find the pump."

"What is the meaning of this? Marianne?"

It was just after Roland started talking that Bog came into the gym, friends in tow. They were shocked to see Marianne destroying their hard work, but they were upset as they listened to Roland. She was in on it the whole time?

"Bog, I can explain. I had to-"

"No. Save your explanation, Tough Girl. You played us. We were willing to welcome you in. But most of all, you played me. And I fell for it. Come on, guys, we have work to do."

The group walked back out the door, and Marianne tried to speak and run after them, but was stopped by Roland grabbing her wrist.

"It's fine, Buttercup. Let them go. They're ugly, stupid people. We don't need them in our lives. You made the right choice."

Marianne shoved Roland aside, only for the triplets to stand in her way, the football players now all assembled by the door. It seemed she was trapped.

"What do you want, Roland?"

"Marianne, sweetie, you sound so sad. This is joyous time! I'm just here to convince you that I love you! And now that you've proven yourself in action, I think we should drink to it. What do you say, boys? How about bringing some of that Gatorade over her for us to share, eh?"

Roland winked at the triplet holding the vial containing the drugs in it. It was go time. The vial's contents were dropped into Marianne's cup, which was then handed to Marianne.

"Come on, Sugar Pie. Let's drink to a truce. You and me."

If there was anything that Marianne had learned from watching The Princess Bride, it was to not fall to one of the slightly less well-known blunders of going in against a Sicilian when death was on the line. Roland claimed to be Sicilian from his mother's side (something about learning the ways of romance from her), so she really did not trust Roland. Add to that the fact that Roland had planned to drug her at one point, and she really did not want to drink anything touched by him or his gang of fools. Then she got an idea.

"Fine, but first, I'd like smell your drink. Whoops!"

As Marianne walked over to Roland, she "accidentally" knocked her elbow against one of the triplets, making the arm drop her drink into Roland's. She then took Roland's cup and split the contents between them.

"Sorry about that, Roland. You know how clumsy I can be. Shall we drink together?"

"Of-of course, Buttercup. At the same time."

Roland had no intention of drinking from his cup now, but he would have to pretend for a moment. He decided that he would let it sit inside his mouth, and then he would spit it out when Marianne was not looking.

The two clinked their cups and then drank. Marianne "accidentally" sent the liquid onto the floor, and then she walked over to Roland and pinched him. The pinch caused him to swallow, taking in all of the drink.

"Whoops, sorry again, Roland. It looks like I missed again. I hope you had not put anything into that drink."

"Now see here, Marianne, just because I love you-"

Roland started speaking but then stopped. Instead, his hand reached out and began stroking her cheek. The drugs were strong with him, and he was about to feel really, really good. And flirtatious.

Marianne smacked her hand away before punching him to the ground. Roland curled into a ball and cried out for mercy.

"I don't love you, Roland. I will never forgive you for your betrayal."

"No one else loves you, Marianne. That dork may have, but he doesn't like you anymore."

If Roland was trying to convince her that he was better for her, then he was doing about as good a job as Mr. Collins pleading his suit with Elizabeth Bennet. So much fail.

That remark earned Roland another kick, this time to the behind.

"I'm going to be so glad when you see what Bog has planned for your baby pictures, you low-down, lying-"

"What? My baby pictures? No! Boys! Don't let that happen. Protect the computer and projector at all costs. Save the baby pictures! I'll go on," said Roland dramatically.

"Idiot. I am such an idiot. I have to warn them. Roland, I am _so_ not done with you."

With a final kick to the groin, Marianne ran off, trying to find her new friends. Alas, the only people she could find were Stuff and Thang.

"What do you want, Betrayer?"

"You have to go to the projector room at once. The football team will be guarding it before long, and then you won't be able to do what you need to do. We have to go-"

"We're not going anywhere with you, Marianne. We don't trust you, but we'll go there because we're sure that Roland did send someone up there to prevent us."

"Guys, you have to believe me, I didn't betray you-"

"Try again. We don't believe you."

With that, the two left, giving Marianne a slight shove as they passed her. She had to convince them, and she had to help somehow. But how?

It was then that Ms. Plum walked out of the all-purpose room carrying the large sticks with cushions on the ends from the punching activities of earlier. Marianne saw an opportunity and ran with it.

"Ms. Plum, may I borrow one of those sticks, please?"

"What are you going to do with it, Marianne? Are you going to hurt Bog with it again?"

"Oh no, Ma'am. I'm going to help him actually."

"Good, here you go then. Go off and have fun! But remember to walk down the halls!"

Marianne ran down the hall until she got to the stairway leading to the projector room. No one from the football team was in sight, but there were others. Marianne recognized these people as devoted fans of Roland, ten rabid fangirls who had always hated Marianne and whose watchful presence around Roland would put the Skeksis' guarding of the Dark Crystal to shame. These fangirls were no doubt doing Roland's bidding by standing guard now, guarding the last shard of hope for Roland's dignity, his baby pictures.

Marianne just ran at them and hit one of them on the side of the head. That girl screamed, grabbing hold of the girl next to her for support as she fell, bringing that girl down with her. That girl grabbed the one next to her, and so the domino effect continued until all were lying on the ground, screeching for Roland to come save them.

Marianne stuck out her tongue at the girls. She was about to jump over the girls when she saw many bodies upstairs. She was going to need more weapons. Luckily, the storage closet of silly string was close by, so she kicked the door in and took out a bunch of extra silly string and cheese, which she put in her pockets. She would fix for the door later.

Unleashing her battle cry, Marianne ran up the stairs into the fray. She saw five people from the science club (including her three new friends and Brutus) and ten football players. It was time to even the odds.

"You! Get out of the way of my friends!"

The science club members had been at a standstill, trying to figure out how to outsmart a bunch of strong football players. Brutus was only so strong, and Bog could only distract so long. Upon hearing Marianne's scream, Bog told everyone to get against the wall. Having people on both sides did not bode well for them, so he and his friends were shocked when Marianne charged upstairs and swung her stick at all of the football players, knocking them onto the steps.

"Hi, guys. Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a good weapon. Sorry about all this."

Bog still refused to look at her, as did Stuff, but Thang did give her a small wave. He would have spoken more, but one of football players started to get up, so Marianne swung the stick and bopped him in the head again. Another one reached out and pushed the stick from her hands, so Marianne found the cheese and started spraying it into his eyes. Once he was distracted, she kicked him further down the steps and then used the spot to get more of a height advantage behind the football players so that she could kick all of them further down. After she had gotten in a few kicks at each, yelling about how this kick was for so-and-so or for all the times that they had mistreated others, she turned around to face the shocked faces of the science club members.

"I had a lot of pent-up anger I needed to get rid of. My dad always said I needed an outlet. I think he's right. But you can kick them down the rest of the way if you'd like," she said, waving her hands in the downstairs direction.

Finally, Bog started to laugh. The others soon followed. When the laughing died, Bog went downstairs, kicking one guy once before storming out, telling the group to secure the room for their upcoming activities. There was only an hour before the final event occurred.

While Marianne sat on the stairs, confused and close to tears about where she had gone wrong, the rest of the group took great delight in kicking the bullies some ways. When they got tired of doing so, they let Brutus pick them up and take them to a closet to lock them up until show time. Stuff and Thang remained to take care of the projector room, while the other one went to help with guarding duty.

"Marianne? You really didn't betray us, did you?"

"Of course not, Thang! I would never! You've only been super nice to me, but I can see why you could get that impression, after what Roland said. But still! I never did. And now Bog hates me."

"It's only because he likes you," said Stuff matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean? How could he like me?"

"Bog has liked you since day one, I suspect. I remember the first time he saw you. We were doing a derivation on the board, and Bog loves those. But, you walked by, and Bog lost all interest in the derivation, instead asking who you were. He didn't stop asking about you until Roland appeared on your arm. That shut him up fast."

"So he _really_ hates Roland, then?"

"With burning passion," replied Thang.

"How can I prove myself to him? I have to change his mind. I thought this would do the trick."

"Short of completely ruining Roland, I doubt you can do much right now, Marianne. You're better off just waiting until this is all over and talking to him. He'll see reason. He always does."

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Thank you, Stuff!" shouted Marianne as she hugged Stuff. "Can I use the computer in there for a little bit? I need to find something."

"Um, sure, no problem, Marianne. Not sure what I did. I guess you can go in there. Thang, stay in there with her. I'll stay out here and make sure no one disturbs, especially BK."

The two went in, and Marianne got right to work. She pulled out her notes, and with a little help from Thang, she found the security cameras she had been looking for. She went back as far as she could, and then she began taking snippets from the videos. Once she had all the videos she needed, she found three songs and used her video editing skills from class (she was glad to have those skills after seeing photoshop) to combine everything together. A few words here, and with five minutes to spare, her little masterpiece was ready.

"Thang, I need you to trust me. You must play this video. It's the only way we can stop Roland, and I can try to get Bog back."

"Do you like him? Bog, I mean."

"Well, that is, I, I never really thought about it, but-"

"I'll take that as a yes. You sound like Bog when you do that. Don't worry, I'll play the video. Good luck!"

Marianne rushed downstairs. She saw Roland, who was still very high and groping some random girl at present. Good. She needed him to stay like that until the end.

Marianne looked for Bog outside the auditorium until people were asked to enter. She was first in, nervous when she saw him sitting in the middle of the front row. He did not look happy, but she had no choice. She sat down next to him.

"You can thank me anytime, Bog. Or not. You could say something."

"Something," he said sarcastically, not looking her way.

"Really funny, Bog. C'mon, look around you! Your plans tonight were a universal success, other than those deflated balls. It's a good thing I came in when I did, seeing the way those football players were using the balls as dodgeballs on unsuspecting victims. I had to put a stop to their cruelty."

Bog did turn around then, confusion in his eyes. But, the vice-principal came back on stage in new clothing.

"Welcome back, seniors! Has it really been almost twenty-four hours? I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have! Let's give a big round of applause to Dawn Fairfield and all those who helped put this on tonight!"

After the usual amount of thanks, senior mock elections results were announced. Roland won "Best Hair" and "Most Athletic" by a landslide, and Marianne was voted "Most Likely to Succeed". The results for cutest couple thankfully did not include Marianne and Roland, which relieved Marianne to no end.

Bog won "Class Brainiac", as well as "Drama King" for his numerous occasions of stomping into places and scaring people for no reason. Thang was pleased when he won "Best Smile", and Stuff proudly took home her prize of "Most Likely to Win in a Fight". Brutus won the male version of Stuff's prize, to no one's shock. Considering how many fights both of them had been in, it was not surprising at all.

After Mock Elections were done, the baby photos were shown. All parents had sent in baby photos months ago, and several committee members had been sworn to secrecy about the location of the coveted photos. At the appropriate time (three months ago), the photos were scanned onto a computer to get ready for the event.

Bog still had not looked at Marianne, and she was getting tired of his brooding and sulking. She had already apologized and tried to help him, but he still was not giving in. What else could she do to convince him? She had to try something.

While Marianne plotted, Bog kept hearing his mother and Roland alternate speaking in his mind. First there was Roland thanking Marianne for all her help, and then there was his mother telling him that sometimes you had to be vulnerable.

He had been burned multiple times now, but the desire to look at and talk to Marianne was still there, burning brightly. She had been persistent, which he had to give her credit for. But, the problem was his heart. He liked her a lot, and he knew it without a doubt the moment that he heard Roland thank Marianne. It had been too late, though, and now he was afraid of trying again.

But that high, screechy voice of his mother kept telling him to suck it up and try again. But what would he say? That he liked her? Sure, that was a great idea, go from hating her to wanting to date her. Made total sense. Ugh, he hated talking about his feelings.

Once the photos started to play, though, Bog was forced out of his thoughts because Marianne's arm touched his on the armrest. He moved his over, and so did she until her arm touched his again. Bog narrowed his eyes at her, giving his best "Go away" look, to which Marianne cocked her defiantly, as though to say "Make me".

Bog did not want to look into her eyes and fall prey to them again, so he gave up and turned around. His actions annoyed Marianne, but she took it as a good sign that his arm remained there. If she could have seen inside his head, then she would have been pleased to know that Bog liked having her arm next to his like that. But she did not, so she scowled until the animal photos started. After that, both of them were laughing, and soon the rest of the student body with them.

Bog had to hold onto his stomach when Roland's pictures came on the screen, and Marianne felt as though she could not breathe from laughing so hard. Roland made disgruntled noises from his seat, and all the other students laughed.

By the time that the baby photos ended, somehow Bog had started holding Marianne's hand. It had probably been because Marianne had taken to slapping the armrest in the middle of her peals of laughter, and Bog did not want her to break the armrest in the process. But ever since then, they held hands, not looking at one another.

When Marianne's video came on the screen, Bog's hand tightened. Marianne brought her other hand onto his arm, so when the video message said that it was a special message for Roland, Marianne stopped Bog from getting up by saying, "Wait. Please. If there's any hope for us, please watch."

Bog wanted to leave, but his heart wanted to believe Marianne, so he stayed and watched. What he saw surprised him. On the screen, "Love is a Battlefield" played as security video footage showed various images of Roland. The time stamp was at the bottom, so he saw from how far back Marianne went. And then he hated Roland even more. Everything was video of Roland, but it was not doing all of the things he was known for. Instead, it showed him, all in one day, kiss three different women (including Marianne). Then, the same thing for several days, involving a different third girl every day. The girl in green, the National Honor Society girl, got up at some point during those videos, mad at Roland since she thought that he loved her only.

After that footage, new images came, along with the song "We Didn't Start the Fire". This time, they showed Roland giving envelopes full of money to known drug-dealers (at least within the student body), as well as putting a white powder into his drinks. Many men gasped, knowing what those enhancers did, and how illegal they were.

Finally, the song changed to "Love Stinks", and more images came, this time showing Roland cheating on exams, passing sheets around with other football players. Many people gasped at that, showing Roland to be what he truly was, an idiot and cheater.

After a few minutes of that video, the vice-principal came on stage, asking for the video to stop, saying how it was unfair and biased. People boo'd him and threw popcorn at him. Then Roland tripped onto the stage.

"Now I know what you all are thinking of me right now, and it ain't true. I'm a good guy, a hero. Right, guys?"

No one responded back. He tried again. I'm an honest man. I would never do something like that.

"You kissed seven different women in the span of one week. If that's not a cheater, I don't know what is!" shouted a girl from the audience.

"I wanted Marianne to be jealous of me-"

"He cheated on exams! I saw him, and I'm ashamed to say I helped him. I thought he loved me."

The girl in green came on stage and slapped Roland.

"Good-bye, Roland. I hope you lose your scholarship. I don't know who made that video, but I'm eternally grateful for being shown the truth."

"Aww, sweetie, come back, I do love ye," said Roland, trying to grab the girl.

"And now you know _exactly_ how I feel," said Marianne as she walked onto the stage. "I made that video because I was tired of people worshipping the ground Roland walks on. He's a two-faced jerk who has used us all to suit his needs, and he deserves to be punished."

"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to achieve that, Miss Fairfield," said the vice-principal, "as it is, you're in a lot of trouble for going into our records and doing this. Now if you don't mind-"

"I do mind. In fact, if you don't believe me that he's a louse, why don't you look him in the eye? Or check his pockets? Even as we speak, he's high on drugs."

"Now, hold on a second there, Buttercup, I would never-"

"Yes you would! You wanted to use them on me!" screamed Marianne, making Roland flinch.

"Is this true, Roland? Are you high?"

"Of course not, Sir, I'm just a little tired, and really hungry."

The fail field was strong with Roland that night, so the vice-principal began checking Roland for signs of drug use after being told that Roland was hungry. Seeing the tell-tale look in his eyes, and finding the vial in his back pocket, the vice-principal called up some teachers.

"This student has drugs on the premises. Call the police and have him be arrested for possession, if nothing else. I'm ashamed of you, Roland. You had such a promising future, and you go and ruin it like this."

"You're welcome, Roland," said Marianne as sweetly as possible.

It was at that moment that Roland finally cracked, and all of his fury was turned on Marianne.

"You! This is your fault! I tried to love you, but no-"

"You will leave her alone. Now."

No one expected Roland to finally break his nice guy façade, but then again, Bog coming up and standing up for Marianne was even more unexpected. Bog was angry, and no one messed with him when he was that angry. Even Roland knew better.

"Bog, I-"

"I know you can handle this, Marianne, but this guy is high and desperate. I don't trust him."

To prove his point, Roland chose that moment to throw a punch at Bog while he was distracted, earning him a kick from Bog. Bog stood proudly with a smarting arm, while Roland writhed on the floor in agony. Bog turned to face Marianne again.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Marianne."

"This _creature_ is the reason why no one had fun tonight! This guy destroyed everything!"

Now Roland was being a drama king, and he was standing up again, about to strike Bog. Marianne was not going to stand for it. There was no way that Roland was taking Bog from her again! She jumped in front of Bog and gave one, final kick to Roland, making him hit his head in the process of falling. At this rate, he would not be able to produce offspring, which was probably better for the world anyway.

"You're wrong, Roland! I think everyone had fun tonight, except for the guys your football friends picked on by throwing deflated balls at. _That_ was rude and uncalled-for. Everyone made the most of it and still had fun. If anything, he made it more fun for everyone. Right, everybody?"

Some people would not have cheered in agreement, but seeing Bog's angry face upon them made them do anything to get rid of it. As people cheered, Marianne was surprised at how much fear she had had at the thought of Bog getting hurt. The fear had come from something else, and it was a strange, new emotion for her. She was almost afraid to put a word to it.

Roland lay on the ground, defeated. Everyone had turned against him, and now he would most likely go to jail and lose his scholarship. Life sucked.

As Roland was led out of the auditorium, Marianne's dad finally appeared, running as fast as his chubby legs could carry him.

"What is the meaning of this? Where's Roland going?"

The vice-principal took him aside to explain. At the end of it, the only thing he had to say was "My daughter?"

Father and daughter met onstage, Bog close behind her.

"Marianne, what did you do?"

"I proved to you why I shouldn't date Roland. Are you happy now?"

"I don't care about that, Marianne. I just want to see you happy!"

"I am, Dad! Very happy now. I made new friends, including the guy behind me. Right, Bog?"

Bog stammered at being thus asked until Marianne faced him. Seeing his face scrunch up in that way made Marianne see exactly what that new emotion was, how she felt about Bog.

"On second thought, the friendship I share with Bog is a little different than the one I share with Stuff and Thang. I like him differently."

At that, Marianne leaned in and kissed Bog. She had intended to just kiss him on the cheek, but Bog had misunderstood her intentions and leaned towards her as well. As a result, the two shared a kiss on the lips, and hands and arms followed. They stopped when Marianne's father coughed.

"Well, I see that you do. Interesting choice. We'll have to talk tomorrow, Mr. King. Bring your mother with you."

"I'm always happy to, Mr. Fairfield!" shouted Griselda from the back. "We're going to be in-laws!"

That last comment made all people onstage cough, while the rest of the student body laughed.

"On that note, the senior lock-in is officially done. Thank you for your time here, students, and I hope you sleep well when you go home. Just remember to be here on time for graduation practice!"

Principal Fairfield would have continued yelling more if every student had not decided to get up and leave upon learning that everything was done. Most were quite tired, as everyone was afraid of being covered in silly string or permanent marker if they fell asleep.

As the room cleared, Bog and Marianne walked to a bench outside. They were not there long before Dawn came running out, hugging both of them and giving them her congratulations. After that, she left with Sunny. Griselda soon followed, hugging Marianne and thanking Bog for taking her advice.

At long last, they were alone. The problem was that neither one knew how to start. Feelings were hard.

"Did you really make that whole video in an hour, Marianne? That was impressive."

"Yeah, I had to. I had to convince you somehow. It also allowed me to get revenge upon Roland at last. I hope he loses everything."

"You and me both," he said, taking Marianne's hand, unsure what else to say.

Marianne tried to help.

"So, that engineering degree is looking more interesting by the minute, Bog. Anything to put some distance between me and my old life would be great right now."

"Don't worry, Tough Girl, you'll like it. It's male-dominated, and you'll fit in well, commanding respect wherever you go. I don't suppose we're going to the same college? It would help a lot if we were to, that is, if you do want to-"

Marianne put a finger to Bog's lips to hush him.

"Maybe I should take it from here. Yes, I do want to date you. I didn't think I'd be interested in anyone, but you…. you've proven yourself. You're great. I want to get to know you much more in college. And yes, from what I recall Stuff saying, we're going to the same college. We're going to have even more adventures there, I think."

"I can't wait to share them with you, Tough Girl."

Principal Fairfield almost swooned upon seeing his daughter kissing Bog with such eagerness. It was bad enough that it was so sudden, with a boy who always got into trouble, but his bad influence seemed to be rubbing off on his daughter. Between the new clothes, look, violating school rules and security, and new friends, the principal could not handle much more.

"Aren't you two tired yet? I'm exhausted. Marianne, let's go home."

"I'll see you at home, Dad," called out Marianne as she continued to kiss Bog, barely breaking away to speak.

The principal huffed and drove home. At least, if they got together, he would be assured of smart grandchildren. And then he mentally smacked himself for even going there at this point in the relationship. Clearly, he was tired and stressed.

"It's been a strange day, Tough Girl. I didn't think it would involve you causing so much trouble, but I'm glad it did. It's been different."

"A good different?"

"The best kind."

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 **Author's Notes: Well, that was long. I hope the wait was worth it. It's got all kinds of things, for whatever you're looking for. There are a few references, but I have no desire to mention them all right now. I'm considering writing an epilogue. If you'd like to see one, please let me know. Other than that, thank you for taking the time to read all of this. It's my longest chapter ever written, with just under 19,000 words. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this silly little romp through my memories. I hope you enjoyed as well!**

SVJohnson8721: Thank you! I'm glad you liked how the songs were used. I appreciate the ideas for Avril Lavigne as well. I can see her being used in another story I have planned. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

NoAverageAngel76: Thank you! I'm glad you love both of my stories! It's great to hear that. Thanks so much for taking the time to read both, and thanks for the review!

Suntan140: Thank you! I'm glad you like the idea. Yes, I agree that Strange Magic is an awesome movie. Thanks for reviewing!

WhiteLunaNight: Sorry for the lateness in the update. I hope this makes up for it, with the many shenanigans. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

Anime pirate 13: Yay! Thank you! I'm glad you liked the transformation. I loved doing that. I'm glad you got some of the references at least, and now you know about the rest. Thanks for reading and for the review!


	3. Chapter 3: Epilogue: Raise Your Glass

Trouble

 **Author's Disclaimer: No, I don't own Strange Magic, or any song I make reference to in this story. "Raise Your Glass" is the song of choice for this epilogue. Sorry about the delay in getting this epilogue out. Anime pirate 13 and BoboMidorima asked for more, so here you go! All the fluff and silliness you could ask for as they grow up and go to college and beyond. As a reference point, I'm assuming that the lock-in happened in June, with graduation soon after. Each time amount is the number of years/months after the lock-in, not after the last snippet. I hope you enjoy!**

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Epilogue: Raise Your Glass

***6 Months Later***

"Bog, guess what?" asked Marianne, plopping down on Bog's only comfortable chair in his dorm room (not his).

Bog looked up from his homework, not realizing she had come in. Thang must have left the door open again, trusting one that he was (even if Bog had told him a million times that he liked his privacy).

"What is it?" answered Bog, noticing the excited smile on Marianne's face.

"I got good news from Dawn, and from Sunny naturally. They got in! And on early admittance, too," she said with pride for her baby sister.

"Congrats to them both for being accepted here," said Bog before folding his arms and looking pointedly at Marianne. "But what's this got to do with me? I knew they would both get in. Why are you telling me now?"

Marianne looked put out, knowing she was caught. Bog knew her too well.

"Looking for another roommate, by chance? Sunny needs a roommate, and I figure it'd be cheaper if you three shared one room. You and Sunny both want to save money, after all."

Bog shook his head before replying, "No thank you, Tough Girl. I didn't want to room with Thang as it was. The _only_ reason I did was because I was forced to by the stupid rules set forth by the college. Come next year, I'm getting a room by myself. When I get an apartment, I'll reconsider sharing my living quarters with someone."

"So you're living alone next year? Did you already sign up for campus housing?" asked Marianne, surprised that he was able to do it already.

"Yes, done and accepted. I haven't told Thang yet, as I just did it yesterday. I've been talking to our hall's resident advisor, and he helped set it up since I was discontent. He doesn't want me being a 'rabble-rouser' any more than needed," chuckled Bog as he remembered the conversation.

"We did have some good times during Dorm Spirit Week, didn't we?" said Marianne, recalling the time with fondness. "I don't think I've had that much fun since senior lock-in. Has it been six months since then?"

"At least," said Bog. "Feels like a long time. Moving into the dorms and dealing with Thang is enough to drive me crazy. Add in college classes and work, and I'm ready to strangle every idiot who comes near me."

"But that's why you have me," teased Marianne, a smile tugging at her lips. "At least, that's what your friends and classmates say."

Laughing, Bog replied, "I'm sure they do. I'm a cranky, ill-tempered night owl who only seems to smile around you. I'm sure they're baffled how you do it as my girlfriend."

"I understand you," said Marianne, smiling at Bog before adding, "just like you understand me better than anyone else. We watch out for one another."

"Agreed," said Bog, getting up to join Marianne in the big chair. He was distracted at this point from getting any homework done. Might as well be comfortable and spend it close to Marianne.

"I think they learned the hard way during the Hall Decorating Contest that, even though I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, you won't stand for it. I think you might have gone a little overboard in locking them out of their dorm rooms by switching the combinations for their electronic keycards. But I enjoyed decorating their hall with you the night before. Who would think covering the papers with ketchup and white-out would leave such a strong odor for days to come?" asked Marianne with an evil grin.

"I'm just glad that the cafeteria does a horrible job of guarding their supplies," said Bog. "Switching the combinations was really easy. Trying to get a hold of enough red and white to switch their color scheme completely was much harder."

"That red snow, though," laughed Marianne. "It was something to behold, just like white Santa hats."

"We should do that again next year," said Bog. "We'll have to one-up ourselves somehow."

"We'll figure it out. Now, what should I do about Sunny? Dawn's been bugging me for weeks about him, and I told her I would help."

"Thang and he can share a room. Let Sunny deal with the scatterbrained slob," said Bog, looking over at Thang's messy side of the room. "I can't understand his desire for clutter."

"Then you're in good company with Stuff, as I'm pretty sure she's running out of ways to ask me politely to clean more," said Marianne, shaking her head. "I'm not super messy like Thang, but I leave things out overnight. Stuff is just uber-organized and OCD about everything. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten on Thang's case before about the state of his room."

"She has, many times," said Bog, remembering several occasions. "But for all his loyalty and willingness to help, he still does things his own way, like with clutter. He just forgets about it and assumes it's fine as is."

Bog's fists clenched, and Marianne quickly grabbed his wrists, applying light pressure. Upon feeling the smooth fingers of Marianne, Bog let go of some of his tension and looked into Marianne's eyes.

"Thanks, Tough Girl. I needed that. With exams around right now, I don't like dealing with him. He says he will clean, does it, and then turns around and makes it messy within hours. It's impossible!"

"What's impossible?" asked Thang, walking into the room with Stuff, arm-in-arm from Stuff's room in the adjoining hall.

"Sunny and Dawn got accepted here. Sunny needs a roommate," said Marianne simply, giving Bog a glare to do/say something.

"Why?" asked Thang innocently. "We could fit another in our room next year."

"I'm living by myself next year, so it's impossible for me to do it," said Bog. "Go right ahead, Thang. I need my personal space."

Thang looked a little hurt when Bog first spoke, but his explanation seemed to satisfy him.

"Maybe I don't clean as much as I should," said Thang. "But how does Sunny feel about clutter?"

"He loves it. You'll get along great," said Marianne, perking up at once.

"Which hall did you choose, Bog?"

"Primrose Haven. It had the most open spots in it."

"Awesome!" screamed Thang. "That's the co-ed hall. We'll all get to be buddies in the same hall. I think Brutus will join us. I hope it has three-person rooms for the girls."

"As long as Dawn and Marianne share a space," said Stuff.

"Done! Here's to taking over the Primroses!"

***1 Year Later***

"One year down, three to go," said Bog, laying back in the comfy chair. Marianne laid across the chair's arms and Bog's lap.

"That's such a relief. Our last exam is done at last. I say we have group nap time," said Marianne, leaning closer to Bog in hopes of using him as a pillow.

"You know I can't do that, Tough Girl. I have to leave tomorrow morning for my programming internship," said Bog seriously before adding in a mock-serious voice, "I've got a six hour drive with my mother tomorrow. You still have to help me pack; you wouldn't leave me alone to my fate, would you?"

"Nah, not that, even you don't deserve that. I wish I could drive with you to help," said Marianne with understanding.

"Me too," said Bog, "but you have research that beckons. When the professor took you on after the end of first semester, I thought you'd turn into a vampire from all the time you started spending there, away from the light."

"It just means I look more like you," said Marianne, elbowing Bog in the stomach. "But, with any luck, now that I've got enough programming experience, I can try to actually build a computer. Now that sounds interesting."

"What have I unleashed on the world?" said Bog, pushing Marianne off of him and stepping away from her in mock-fear.

"More than you realize," said Marianne, coming over to Bog and kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks for taking the time to show me your world."

"Anytime, Mari," breathed Bog before pulling her close. "I don't know what I'd do without you in it."

"You didn't seem to think that half the time we were in class together, competing for the best grades," said Marianne, snuggling in closer to him.

Bog struggled to find words until Marianne looked up, and he realized that she was just messing with him.

"We worked together. We just got mad at one another when the other figured it out first," said Bog.

"Because we're way too competitive," said Marianne with a laugh. "But we were able to help one another. We bonded during studying."

"If throwing spitballs at unsuspecting computer users counts," said Bog, bringing Marianne closer to himself.

"It definitely does. We should do that one more time before you go," said Marianne, poking him in the side.

"Later. Right now, I just want to be alone with my girlfriend," said Bog bringing her back to the chair.

At some point, the two left the chair, but not for several hours. Food was found, and they ended up practicing fencing together outside on their way to the computer lab since it was a nice day. When they arrived in the computer lab, spitballs were made. Somehow, Bog still got packed in time. Griselda was happy to watch the couple hug and kiss, knowing then that that would be the last time the two separated like that.

***1 Year, 6 Months Later***

"So, do you want another roommate?" asked Marianne, plopping into a new loveseat that Bog had bought after his internship.

"No way," said Bog, leaning back in his chair and stretching, his neck cracking. "Who wants to move out now?"

"I do," said Marianne. "Sunny and Dawn are _way_ too cutesy for their own good. Can I just take up permanent residence on this loveseat? It's quite comfy and smells really good."

"I think that loveseat is the best investment I've made," said Bog, smiling at Marianne. "But how does it smell good? The new furniture smell is gone."

"Exactly. It smells like you now. Why do you think I haven't given you back this sweatshirt, even after you returned from the internship?" asked Marianne, pointing to the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing.

Bog was still surprised to hear that it was him who made it better, but that was one of many reasons why he liked Marianne so much. She was different. He smiled with pride. "This explains it a little, yes. But eventually you'll have to wash it."

Marianne gave Bog a fierce look and put her arms around her waist, to protect the sweatshirt.

"Mine now."

Bog shook his head. "I bet everyone in the lab gave you strange looks when you came in wearing that in the summer."

"The computer lab is cold! It was a perfectly legitimate excuse," said Marianne. "Besides, they stopped noticing that I wore it when we started doing more of the fun stuff in the lab. We all got sucked into long nights experimenting."

"I wish I could have been there. It sounded like fun from everything you said on Skype," said Bog wistfully. "But I did learn a lot about at my internship. I just don't think I'm going back to it again. I want to try something different, and preferably closer to you."

"I want that, too. I missed you a lot," said Marianne, her voice growing soft as she looked away. She pulled her legs together and stared at the floor.

"Thank goodness for weekly Skype dates," said Bog, getting up and cuddling next to Marianne. "But now that we're together again, we need to wreak havoc more often. We won that Hall Decorating Contest this year, and had some good fun together, I'd say. Switching people's supplies and leaving buckets of liquid in closets was a lot of fun."

"Makes me itch to do more now," said Marianne, a gleam coming into her eye. "Want to go to the freshman computer lab and welcome them properly?"

"I think that's a great idea. They keep taking our spots," said Bog as both got up.

As the two walked to the computer lab, Marianne continued to talk.

"I don't think our room's common room is big enough to accommodate all the cuteness and PDA's of Sunny and Dawn. I don't know what to do about it. I love her to death, and Sunny is great and all. But they really need to go somewhere else! I've told them a few times, and they always forget."

"I'm glad we're not like that," said Bog, taking Marianne's hand.

"Me too," said Marianne, squeezing his hand. "Let's agree never to be like that."

"Agreed. Now, how shall we convince them otherwise? Shall we be killjoys?" asked Bog, an evil grin coming onto his face.

"How do we do that? I've tried," said Marianne with resignation.

"I'll come over to the common room more often, and I'll try to drag the others over. Oh! I know! We can start playing our board games in your room," said Bog. "Your common area is much bigger anyway."

"Yes! That's great!" said Marianne, leaning in and kissing Bog on the lips.

"And we can convince everyone to have our weekly card game night at your place, too. That should help," said Bog, glad to not be forced into a cramped store room with others, or worse, his room.

"Perfect! This is so wrong to do, but they'll thank us later. It'll be better for all. Here's to good ideas!"

"Cheers to us," said Bog.

***2 Years Later***

"I'm so glad to finally be moving out of the dorms," said Bog, heaving the last box into his beat-up car.

"Words can't describe how happy I'll be when I can do it next year," said Marianne. "Then Dawn can join Stuff and me."

"In the meantime, you're always welcome at my place. Thang and Brutus will be there, but I have the biggest room," said Bog, opening the door for Marianne as she hopped in. The two drove to Bog's new apartment, where Thang and Brutus were waiting.

"I'll be visiting a lot this summer," said Marianne, "as well as next year when I want to avoid Dawn and Sunny. Somehow, they still keep doing their cute couple things despite our interference."

"We'll figure something out," said Bog, looking at Marianne sympathetically for a moment before turning his eyes to the road.

"We can figure it out when we have lunch together," said Marianne. "I'm so glad that your internship is in town now. I wasn't sure if they'd want your brand of engineering."

"Only a select few, and I'm the best," said Bog, head high as he drove.

"Naturally," replied Marianne. "We'll determine that tonight when we play video games. I'm gonna kick your butt at Mario Kart, though."

"I regret telling you my strategy," said Bog, parking the car. "Actually, I'm not sure which I regret more, telling you my strategy, or having you figure out my ticklish spots on my back."

"Let me help you figure it out," said Marianne leaning in and reaching for his back.

Several minutes later after much shouting and thrashing, Marianne ended up in Bog's lap, arms wrapped around him. She proceeded to kiss him and throw him an innocent gaze.

"Definitely my strategy," said Bog, his eyes glazed as he looked at Marianne.

The two remained in a staring contest until oblivious Thang came over and started opening Bog's trunk. Marianne brought her head back and hit the ceiling, making Bog reach out and pat her head for bumps.

"Some things never change," said Marianne, looking at Thang fondly.

"Indeed," said Bog with an idea. "So maybe we should inflict Thang instead upon the couple."

"Right on! We got this. Now, let's get this all done. I want to school you already in Mario Kart."

"Bring it on, Tough Girl," said Bog, running his hands through her hair.

***2 Years, 6 Months Later***

"Where's Sunny?" asked Marianne as she walked into her shared room with Dawn. Dawn was on her bed, reading a textbook.

"He's got a job interview today. I'm hoping he gets it, as he needs a second job to make ends meet," answered Dawn, putting her book down and facing her sister.

"I'm really worried about him. His parents can't afford to give much more, and I'm trying to help any way that I can. Dad has said that he'll try to help Sunny, but he's been saying that since last year. What if he doesn't get this job?" asked Dawn.

Marianne got up and sat on Dawn's bed, hugging her sister.

"It's going to be fine. Sunny can take care of himself. He'll figure things out, just you wait. Just have faith in him if nothing else."

Dawn was quiet for a few minutes as she hugged Marianne back.

"You're right. Things will be fine," said Dawn when she finally let go of her sister. "So how are things with you and Boggy?"

Marianne opened and closed her mouth, not sure how to respond. She fiddled with her hands while Dawn's face became worried again.

"Marianne? Do you want a hug? Is everything okay? Is this why you've been in the room so much the last few weeks?" said Dawn, starting to panic.

"I'm not sure what's going on with Bog right now," said Marianne at last. "I'm confused. We had so much fun over the summer, and then we came back to school. Suddenly, classes were overwhelming, and we're not taking the same classes anymore since I'm doing a different type of engineering, even if it's still related to computers and programming. Bog's disappeared, and whenever I do see him, he's quiet and aloof."

"Aww, I'm sorry, Marianne," said Dawn giving her sister a hug. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? And why haven't you confronted Bog about it? I'm sure he doesn't realize what he's doing."

"I think he does," mourned Marianne. "He told me a couple days ago that he got another internship offer from the same company this past summer, and I suggested we celebrate. He said that he didn't want to because he had a lot to do and was sure that I did as well. Then he left. I was hurt by it. I mean, I was glad he told me. But, he just seems to be ignoring me, and I don't know why."

Marianne squeezed her hands together, trying not to cry. Dawn patted her shoulder.

"Do you think it has something to do with you deciding to take Dad's suggestion and doing an internship of your own this upcoming summer?" asked Dawn, trying to get Marianne to look at her.

"Maybe," said Marianne. "I'm not sure. I told Bog I was doing it, but I don't think I told him why. It's only to satisfy Dad's desire for me to try something different besides research. He doesn't think that's a good way to go. But he's always been a little confused by my choice of major, saying that it isn't normal for girls to do."

"He's got good intentions," said Dawn, gripping Marianne's arm for emphasis.

"I know, but I really enjoy doing this research. Not doing it for a summer like that could mean I miss out on important discoveries. At least I'll hear some about it since I'll be a teacher's aide this summer. Once I finish classes this year, I can do it for any class I want for the lower grades. I'm so excited for that. I'm one step closer to becoming a teacher."

"How can you do both?" asked Dawn with confusion.

"Classes are in the nighttime, and I'm not being paid. Someone else is doing the grading, but I'm watching and helping students. He's graduating, so it's his last class as an aide. He's showing me how to do it," said Marianne, making wide gestures with her hands as she tried to explain.

"Okay, that makes more sense. Is Bog okay with you spending all that time with him?"

"Bog seems fine, but we haven't discussed it much."

"You two really need to work on communicating your feelings to one another," said Dawn seriously.

"We'll figure it out eventually, once we start talking to one another again. When Bog's ready, he'll talk to me," said Marianne, confident in how Bog normally acted.

"I hope it's soon," said Dawn.

"I hope so, too. Christmas is coming, and Bog's coming this year. Us not talking might give Dad more reason to 'encourage' me to call it quits with him. Those two never did get along," said Marianne, concerned for Bog.

"I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. Just have faith in Bog," said Dawn, trying to help.

"I do. I just don't like waiting," said Marianne.

***3 Years Later***

"We made it!" cheered Dawn, attacking Marianne with a tight hug.

"Somehow, yes. It's been one heck of a year, but we survived. I hope that's the worst," said Marianne, squeezing her sister back with a smile.

"I think so," said Dawn pulling back and nodding her head. "I know what I'm studying now, and Sunny got a scholarship! He's good for the rest of his school career, and he can work at the theater for whatever hours he wants this summer. It's perfect for him."

"I'm happy for you both," said Marianne, pleased to see her sister's spirits back in full force. She had even been able to handle all the cute couple stuff they had been doing of late, which was saying something about how happy she was for Dawn.

"It's going to be a great summer, as I got my job at the café, and then you all can visit me during lunch. Sunny promised that he's come as often as he can," said Dawn, practically jumping.

"He better, seeing as the theater is across the street from you," Marianne replied indulgently, moving away from the barely contained excitement in her sister.

"And are you excited yet for your internship?" said Dawn, a smug grin on her face.

"Yes, I am. I didn't think I would be, but seeing as I'll be working at the same place as Bog, it should be entertaining. I fear for everyone else who has to deal with us and our antics. There's going to be so many rubberband wars," said Marianne, imagining the walk-by assaults she would perform on Bog on a daily basis.

"I'm just glad you don't own a nerf gun," said Dawn. "You'd never get any work done."

"Hmm, you know, I might get one of those for Bog in the future. He and I have been talking about investing in them so we can have nerf gun wars on campus. Maybe Christmas, but that's a long way off."

"I think that's because we all can't forget what happened at this past Christmas," said Dawn smiling in remembrance.

"It was _very_ unexpected," said Marianne, sitting down on her bed. Dawn joined her.

"I don't think Dad ever realized until then just how happy Bog made you," said Dawn, leaning against Marianne. "It was really sweet what he did for you and Bog."

Laughing, the brunette shook her head and said, "Sweet, and out of the blue. Out of all the people who would sit down with the two of us, as silent and moody as we were, I didn't expect it to be Dad. But, he asked me to sit with him in the living room with Bog, and then he asked me why I wasn't talking to Bog and refused to let Bog leave. I think the only reason I didn't leave was because Dad said that he expected an answer from Bog afterward."

"None of us like seeing you unhappy," said Dawn. "After what happened with Roland, Dad and I were glad you had found someone else and were happy. I just think Dad took it for granted after a while. But, he saw it plainly when you came home and were away from Bog and not talking. He felt like he failed you before, and he didn't want to do so again," continued Dawn, remembering her initial conversation with her father when she arrived home with a silent Marianne.

"I'm glad he did it. At first, I was upset, but once it became obvious that we both suck at communicating our feelings and telling one another that we were hurt by the other's actions, I'm glad we could clear it all up before Christmas. It was a long time coming. Apparently we're both willing to wait for the other to give enough space."

"I'm not surprised," said Dawn, rolling her eyes. "You're both very similar in some respects, especially in your stubbornness. You get along so well normally that it's weird to not see you together."

"Well, we're together now, and stronger for it. Bog and Dad are on much better terms as well, so I can't ask for more," said Marianne, feeling content.

"It's shaping up to be a great summer, now that we're both in good spots with jobs and relationships. I can only imagine what next year will bring," said Dawn excitedly.

"Away from the noise of campus and doing research again? It's going to be good. With Bog close, even better," said Marianne, looking at the door, hoping Bog would appear soon with Sunny.

"Hey! What about me and all the rest of your friends?" said Dawn playfully.

"You're important, too. I'm just glad you and Dad care so much," said Marianne, hugging her sister.

"Best family ever, for sure. Here's to more sister bonding this summer."

"And pulling pranks on the guys," chuckled Marianne.

"To family, and summer!"

***4 Years Later***

"Is my cap on straight?" asked Bog to Sunny.

Sunny considered Bog for a moment and then turned the graduation cap slightly.

"You're all good now. You about ready to go join the girls in their apartment? I think Thang is already there," said Sunny, hand on the doorknob, ready to go.

'One more thing," said Bog, running to his bedroom and slipping something small into his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Sunny suspiciously. For a moment, Sunny thought it was a jewelry box but dismissed it at once.

"What's, uh, what?" asked a guilty Bog.

"That thing you just put in your pocket. Whenever Marianne does that, she's trying to hide something," said Sunny, looking suspiciously at Bog as he remembered Marianne acting like that.

Bog's face turned even more white than before (which Sunny had doubted could happen), and his eyes widened. Then, he looked off into the distance, seeming to argue with himself about something if his sudden head movement were any indication.

When Bog made his decision, he said, "You've known Marianne for a long time, haven't you?"

"It'll be sixteen years this year," said Sunny with pride, "and Dawn for just as long. They're great."

"So you know them pretty well," said Bog, hope seeming to come into his eyes as he stepped forward.

"Sure?" said Sunny, beginning to become worried when Bog stood less than a foot in front of him and started hunching over. He wanted to back up, but he was right against the door.

"You've got to help me," said Bog, taking both of his gigantic hands and engulfing Sunny's tiny shoulders with them.

"Wait, what?" stammered Sunny, now thoroughly confused.

Bog pulled out the dark item, and it was indeed a jewelry box. When Bog opened it, Sunny saw an engagement ring, a sapphire with two oddly-cut emeralds around it. It reminded Sunny of a flower.

"I know how much Marianne loves sapphires and flowers, and I saw this recently. I had to get it for her," said Bog in a rush, similar to how he had seen the ring, stared at it, then bought it before anyone else came near him. He had been searching for a ring for a while, and when he had seen that one, he knew at once. He had not taken any chances that someone might see him or take it before him.

Sunny did not want to know how much the ring had cost, but he imagined that with Bog's internship money and bonus for accepting a job with the technology company, he had more than enough to afford it. It was a stunning ring, and Marianne would love it. Sunny just stared open-mouthed, trying to think of something to say.

Bog got restless when Sunny did not speak. He closed the ring box, and slipped it back in his pocket. He started to explain himself, not knowing what else to do.

"Last year, when Marianne and I weren't talking, well, you saw me. It was rough. I couldn't handle it. I've never been so miserable before. I thought it had hurt to be rejected by that girl all those years ago, but to feel the lack of Marianne, and knowing she was uncomfortable around me and was hurt, I just couldn't deal with it. I didn't want to make her more upset with me. A lot was weighing on me then. Sure, I was angry that she had changed her mind suddenly about doing research, but I just wanted her to be happy."

"Why didn't you say something to her?" asked Sunny, trying to understand and guiding a nervous Bog to the loveseat.

"I couldn't. Marianne was upset. It was best to let her get it out of her system. I was so sure that she'd start poking and tickling me as soon as whatever it was passed. She was always like that before. We'd have a fight, involving words and weapons usually, and then walk away, tired. We'd cool off, and then one of us would come back to the other. We just didn't this past time."

Bog stared at his hands, trying to figure out what he had done wrong. Sunny watched for a few moments, remembering what Marianne would say about Bog when he was in that pose, that he was blaming himself for all the world's problems.

"If you didn't understand her then, are you sure you're ready for marriage?" asked Sunny. As Bog gave him an angry look, Sunny pulled away, putting his hands in the air in defense of himself. "Hey now, just trying to help! That's a big step to be considering with Marianne. What if you fight like that again?"

"Marianne and I have already discussed this at length," grumbled Bog, "in front of her father. No more silent treatment. We have to _communicate_."

After a pause, Bog continued, "But even if we hadn't, I've learned my lesson. We need to talk. I need to stop blaming myself, and all that. Besides, the problem is that I don't know if I can go back to _not_ having her in my life. She's become such an important part of it in every possible way. It's so normal to have her around. I don't want to relive those few months of hell. If nothing else, it made me realize that I was lucky to have her in my life. Our time spent together afterward convinced me that I'm going to work as hard as I have to in order to make our relationship work."

Sunny gulped before he asked his next question. Both Bog and Marianne were good friends of his, and he did not want either of them getting hurt in the process. It was clear that Bog felt strongly about Marianne, but what about her?

"Do you know how Marianne feels? Do you think she loves you?"

Bog nodded quickly with confidence.

"I'm sure of it," Bog said, a smile appearing. "Even if she has never said it out loud, I know she cares about me in all the small things she does for me. We both believe actions speak louder than words, seeing as neither of us are any good with words."

"And you love her?" asked Sunny, sighing with relief at Bog's first answer.

"Yes. More than anything," said Bog, making eye contact with Sunny. "I'd jump off a cliff and save Marianne from a falling building if it meant she lived, even if I didn't. I can't lose her again."

Sunny breathed deeply, realizing just how much Bog cared. Now he knew that someone cared for Marianne as much as he loved Dawn. He looked at the door, making Bog realize that they were still in their apartment.

"We should, ah, probably get over to their place. Can't be late to my own graduation," laughed Bog.

"For sure," said Sunny getting up. "Marianne doesn't, seeing as it starts her graduate career off on the wrong foot."

Bog smiled at the mention of Marianne. "She's going to be a great professor one day, Queen of the Classroom, dazzling all with her intimate knowledge of computers and how to wire them. I can't wait to see her in action. These next three years will fly by for her as she gets her PhD. I'm proud of her as it is, to see her running with my idea from four years ago."

"She won't even need you to support her," said Sunny, nodding sagely.

"No, she won't. But I'll be there anyway. I've got good benefits, and one day, when we have kids, I'll be able to support them if nothing else," said Bog, turning red.

Sunny gave Bog a pointed look, and Bog held up his hands, saying, "Hey! Don't judge! This is all my mother talking and reminding me to be ready!"

Sunny grinned and walked out the door.

"Hey, wait!" screamed Bog, trying to catch up to Sunny and grabbing him.

"What now?" asked Sunny, trying to shake off Bog's iron grip. "We got a graduation to go to!"

"How do I propose to Marianne? You know her well. You know I don't do words well," whispered Bog seriously.

Sunny laughed loudly, grabbing hold of his stomach.

"You'll figure it out, Bog. I have faith in you," said Sunny, walking away.

"But Sunny!" cried Bog helplessly.

***5 Years Later***

"C'mon, Bog, this'll be fun! It's been five years since graduation from high school, and we've enjoyed every second of it. Let's stick it to everyone and show them how much fun we're having, especially as a couple," said Marianne, dragging Bog to the bar where the informal Henson High 5 Year Reunion Party was happening.

"I don't know, Marianne. I just get this bad feeling," started Bog, looking about.

"It's probably just gas," said Marianne, shaking her head at Bog's nerves. "We're going to have so much fun. We're-"

"Buttercup! It's been too long! Why didn't you ever answer my phone calls and keep switching colleges on me?"

"Roland, what are you, wait, switch colleges?" asked Marianne, turning to Bog with a stern look.

Bog looked properly innocent.

"Yeah, Sugar Pie, you went from the West Coast to the East Coast, then back again. I spent so much money trying to keep up with you! But don't worry; I'm back now, to take you away from this beast," said Roland, reaching for Marianne.

Marianne recoiled away from Roland before saying, "Don't touch me! I told you before that I never want to see you again or deal with you. Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Because I love you, Sugar Cake. Can't you see?"

"I don't love you, Roland; I love Bog. Get away from me," said Marianne, storming away. She turned around suddenly and screamed, "And if you try to touch me again, I _will_ make sure that you never reproduce!"

After that, Marianne ran to the other side of the bar, onto the stage behind a curtain. Bog made large strides to hurry after her, with Roland laughing in the background.

"Tough Girl, wait!" shouted Bog after Marianne, not wanting to lose her again. He looked around for Stuff and Thang, but could find neither one. No matter, he would deal with Roland after.

"I can't believe this," stated Marianne once Bog was behind the curtain with her. "Who invited that prick? They said he wasn't allowed."

"Clearly, some woman was convinced otherwise," said Bog with disgust. "If you want to leave-"

"No, Bog," said Marianne, turning her head away and standing tall. "I'm done running away from Roland. He's taken enough of my emotional health and well-being, and I won't let him do it again. I'm going to go back out there and show him I'm having a good time."

"You may look like that to everyone else, Mari, but you don't fool me," said Bog quietly, reaching for Marianne's cheek. At that, Marianne leaned into his calloused hands, enjoying his touch. The hard lines of her face softened, and she looked up at him.

"Why does he always get the upper hand? And why did he think that I went to multiple universities? Bog?"

Bog looked shamefaced and stared at his shoes.

"Well, I, uh-"

Marianne pulled Bog down so that their heads were at the same level. "Tell me, Bog. What did you do?"

"I didn't want Roland to follow you, and I know that you created a new facebook and email for yourself in college. But Roland didn't know that, and he was trying to track you. I'd change your location on a regular basis, as I could figure out his computer pretty fast from how often he seemed to visit your page and send you anonymous messages."

"You lied to me. Why didn't you tell me?" asked Marianne, growing angry.

"Because I didn't want you to have to worry about him. I wanted you to enjoy college, without him. I knew he hurt you bad. You deserved better," said Bog, looking down. "If you want me to go, I understand. But I don't regret what I did."

Bog could feel Marianne's grasp on his shoulders tighten a lot as he spoke, and he kept his head down. He knew it had been wrong, but after all she went through, she needed a fresh start.

Marianne removed her hands from his person, and Bog looked up. He saw her angry brown eyes, and a moment later, she slapped him. Bog took it as gracefully as he could, but the force of it still knocked him against the curtain.

As the slap was heard on the other side of the curtain, Roland took that as his cue to find a microphone. He had no cronies with him now, but surely it could not be that hard.

"That's for not telling me," said Marianne with hostility, arms folding in front of her.

Bog was about to speak when he saw Marianne's eyes soften, and her arms reach for his head. He did his best to fight back this time by putting his arms around her waist, to hold her back since her arms were shorter, but he found that he did not have to. He was prevented from separating himself from her and instead found himself dragging her closer when her hands cupped his cheeks, she kissing him.

"That is for taking care of me when I didn't ask or want it. I'd much rather fight my own battles, and I'd like you to respect my wishes from now on," said Marianne, looking Bog in the eye.

Bog nodded in agreement and replied, "Yes, Marianne. At first I did it because I still didn't know you as well and just wanted to be the hero for once, but later I did feel bad. But I wasn't about to stop and tell you. I know now."

"Thank you, Bog. I wish you had told me," said Marianne, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Why?" asked Bog, tilting his head in confusion.

"Because we could've had so much more fun sending him on wild goose chases together, silly," said Marianne, pretending to whack Bog upside the head.

"Remind me to show you Roland's messages from the time when we were apart. Those ones were particularly good. I sent him to so many places, and he got frustrated," said Bog. "He almost dropped his act of caring about you."

It was at that moment that Roland came back with the microphone and stand, and put it next to Bog and Marianne on the other side of the curtain. He stepped back to sit and enjoy the fireworks. Stuff told her husband, Thang, to bring out his phone and start recording.

"Is that part of the reason why you were quiet, Bog?" asked Marianne curiously.

"Yes, it was, Marianne. It weighed on me a lot during that time. I felt bad not telling you, but I felt worse not having you in my life. You've become so important to me over these five years. Our time apart told me that I never want to lose you again."

"Oh, Bog, I feel the same way," said Marianne, reaching in and hugging him. Bog held her close, not wanting to let go.

"I love you, Tough Girl. I don't think I realized it for a while, but even when we bonded that fateful night, I knew you were different. Stuff knew that I liked you before even I realized it, but when your father pulled us aside, I realized how much I loved you. I hated the idea of being called out by your father, but if it meant getting you back, I'd take all the tough talks he could throw at me. I'd do anything for you," Bog said, his voice growing soft.

As Marianne continued to hold him close, Bog was encouraged to continue talking. It was then that he felt the weight of the engagement ring in his pocket, and he decided to do something about it at last, now that she finally knew.

"You said earlier that you love me. I've always felt that way, but we've neither of us said it out loud. I do love you," he said, repeating himself as he tried to think of a good way to lead into a proposal.

"Yes, I heard you the first time, Bog. I love you so much," said Marianne, pulling Bog down so their foreheads could touch.

Before Bog knew what he was doing, he found himself saying, "Will you marry me?"

Bog froze once he said it, and Marianne pulled away, looking at him as though he had sprouted wings and looked like an insect.

For one tense moment, Bog could not move, and Marianne just continued to stare at him. Then she asked, "After all this time? Is this what you've been so hesitant about these last couple months? Marriage?"

"You have no idea how much I've worried about it," said Bog honestly, his hands spreading out in front of him as he tried to show her the depth of his worrying. "For the last year I've-"

"Yes. Always yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Bog," interrupted Marianne, putting a finger to Bog's lips.

"Thank you, Marianne. You've just made me the happiest, luckiest man there is," said Bog, pulling out the ring.

Marianne took a moment to gawk at the ring while Bog put it on her hand. Once the ring was in its new home, Marianne reached up to Bog, clinging to him with all her might.

"Thank you, Bog! It's beautiful!"

The couple kissed, and neither noticed that wild cheering had begun on the other side of the curtain. They certainly did notice when Stuff pulled back the curtains, letting in the light and catcalls. All the while, Thang continued to record the very public proposal so that he could share it with friends and family for a long time to come, sniffling loudly about Bog and Marianne.

"Finally! At long last, they're getting together after five years together. It's so sweet!"

Thang teared up a little after saying that, and Stuff came back to him to hug him, her eyes wet as well.

"What just happened?" asked Bog, looking around at everyone once they all calmed down.

"Roland put a mic by you so that we could listen to the proposal. It was beautiful and so romantic!" said one girl, swooning.

"Don't worry, BK, we'll send this to your mother and Dawn at once! We got it all on film," said Stuff proudly.

Bog looked ready to scream at them for their actions, but Marianne thought it was a little sweet. She pulled Bog in for one more kiss, making him forget all about their actions, or so she thought.

After the kiss, Bog said, "Better send it quick, before I change my mind. I'm in a particularly good mood right now."

The married couple did not have to be told twice. Soon, screams of joy could be heard throughout the city. No one was quite sure who was louder, Dawn or Griselda. Most said Dawn's singing was louder, but Griselda's initial shrill scream of joy was louder.

***10 Years Later***

"Cheers to Associate Professor Marianne King, the best professor who lived!"

Amidst much cheering and clinking of glasses, Marianne blushed at all the attention from her friends and family around her at the ten year high school reunion. She had gotten her PhD a few years ago, and after doing her time as a post-graduate, she had found a university to do research at while she taught.

Bog held her close, choosing not to drink that night to support Marianne, seeing as she would not be able to drink for another couple months, after the baby was born. The girl would be their second child, the first an already tall boy who looked just like his father. Bog worked from home, happy to get away from his annoying coworkers, and even happier to spend time with his son.

Dawn was enjoying some alcohol, having given birth a year ago now to her first child, a girl who combined all the best things about her parents, Dawn and Sunny. Sunny had a night off from taking care of his theater, a joint venture he had with Stuff, ever the resourceful investor from her insight, economics degree, and MBA. Thang worked with Bog, whenever Bog actually came into the office.

Stuff had given birth to a girl a few months after Marianne had, and she had already decided with Thang that their girl would be their only child. The girl was a curious, bossy thing, and she loved to ride on her father's back and play with Marianne and Bog's son. Griselda thought that the two young ones would one day get married, but all the parents gave her evil glares to silence her.

As the night wore on, everyone began to reminisce about their high school days, looking around the room at those in attendance. Some seemed different, and others stayed the same. It was Marianne who asked the question, rather surprised by the turn of events.

"Where'd Roland the Rat go? I thought for sure he'd sneak into the school somehow."

"I heard Barbie Boy drank himself into a stupor and became an alcoholic after you agreed to marry Bog," said Stuff, pleased with herself.

"I heard he became a druggie," said Sunny, looking around for confirmation from someone.

"He's doing none of those things; he's in jail," said Bog with authority.

"How do you know?" asked Marianne suspiciously.

"Don't you all read the paper? It was in this morning's paper about his 'fall from grace'. It was glorious. Here, brought it with me to share," said Bog, smug as can be as he gave the paper to Marianne.

After reading, Marianne threw her head back and laughed. "It figures that Roland would be in jail for trying to get out of a speeding ticket by offering a female officer drugs. Idiot."

"Busted him with quite a bit, too," said Bog, enjoying a laughing Marianne. "Sounds like all his time from high school was an ongoing thing."

"Serves him right. Though, he did help bring us together, in high school and marriage, Bog. That has to count for something," said Marianne seriously, tilting her head toward her husband.

"Sure does. We'll drink in his honor. Raise your glass, everyone. To Roland!"

"To high school!"

***20 Years Later***

"Has it really been twenty years since we graduated from high school, Bog? It feels longer," said Marianne, leaning against her husband in the old high school gym.

"Only because we have two grown children in high school now. The only thing I fear now is having Miss Plum succeed your father as principal. This worries me a lot," said Bog, looking around for any sign of the newest principal.

"I had always thought she was pretty old when she taught us," said Sunny, putting an arm around his wife. "I'm confused how she's still here."

"Magic, my boy. Magic," said the lady in blue, appearing out of nowhere.

Sunny jumped and screamed, his surprise contorting his face. Sugar Plum laughed and made a similar scream.

"You should see your face!" she cackled.

"Oh wait, I can show you," said Stuff, laughing as she showed her phone's picture to Sunny. Unlike the guys, she had seen Plum approaching and got her camera ready.

"Having fun are we?" asked Plum.

"Much. Just trying to figure out how our children ended up in high school already," said Dawn, smiling at Plum pleasantly. She had always liked Plum.

"Good. Don't worry about your children; I'll take good care of them, just like I did for Bog and Marianne," said Plum as she smiled and sashayed away.

"What did she mean by that?" asked Bog, staring at Plum with furrowed brows.

"I don't think I want to know," said Thang, looking at his laughing wife.

"Don't you all remember that night at lock-in?" asked Stuff after she finished laughing. "She's one of the reasons why no teachers came to pick up Bog and Marianne for the longest time. I talked to teachers about that later; she delayed them. Then, she gave Marianne the needed weapon to defeat Roland and his cronies. Our children are doomed."

"You're taking this awfully well," said Marianne, not amused by Stuff's laughter.

"There's Strange Magic at work here. There's nothing we can do to stop it," said Stuff, gesturing to the school around them. "We might as well enjoy the adventure."

"I'll drink to that," said Bog, picking up his glass.

"Me, too," said Marianne, intertwining her hand and glass with Bog's. "To more adventures!"

~~~-BBBBBB-~~~

 **Author's Notes: Well, that was a whole lot of fluff. The Roland and Bog bit just kind of came to me at the last second, so I hope that worked out. Thanks so much to everyone who read/reviewed/faved/followed! I appreciate all your support! Sorry for making the wait so long for this, and thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed!**

NoAverageAngel76: Thank you! I'm so glad you loved it! We can share in the Butterfly Bog love together. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

TheUltimateAngela: Thanks! Sorry, no kidnapping in this story, but stay tuned for other stories of mine. One will have that happen; that I can promise. Thanks for reading and leaving a review!

Anime pirate 13: *Sending hugs* Thanks for all the love on this story! Your support has been wonderful, and I really appreciate it! I'm glad the story was worth it, and I hope this epilogue lives up to the previous chapter. I can't thank you enough for reading!

BoboMidorima: Yes, there is! Sorry for the long wait! I didn't mean to wait so long, but here you go. I agree that we need lots more stories on this site for this great movie. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

NinjaHime1996: Thank you! I'm happy you loved it! Always brings a smile to my face. Thanks for the review!

Guest: YESS! Job accomplished. Smiling is what I like to hear. You're welcome anytime! Thanks for reading and for the review!

Echo the Ice Tiger: Cool! I love Wicked, and it definitely had a role in getting this story going, as I had been listening to Wicked for those past few days. It's good to meet fellow music lovers. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


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